Cameron's broken Accelerometer
by keithallen
Summary: When the jeep blew up, a length of metal was driven into her head and caused plenty of problems.I made up one more problem that ended up turning out for the best.
1. Chapter 1

Cameron's broken Accelerometer

Things were not going well for Cameron ever since the bomb blew up and she tried to kill John. The joint and skin damage done to her was repairing. Cameron also noted that her mission folders were empty. She had no active missions. Knowing John had saved her and not destroyed her like he should have, she chose to keep protecting him. John was now distant to her, which was understandable. She found she wanted to try to make up for betraying him like that, but she had no data on how to do that.

When she went in the shower to clean her body, something happened.

Unknown to Cameron, water leaked into her head from the cut in the back of her skull caused by a chunk of metal when the bomb went off. That small amount of water leached onto some wires and for a while, didn't move. In between wires in a tightly closed space, it didn't evaporate. When the water moved, things happened.

One drop hit the connector to her memory, and for a while she thought she really was Allison Young. Nanites detected it and removed the water. Cameron's memory of who and what she was returned.

John then began seeing Riley. Upon sight of the busty blond, Cameron's HUD targeted her for immediate termination. She forced the command back down, she knew that would make John angry at her and push him farther away. A glitch also made it's appearance. Her left hand would flex by itself. When Cameron first met Riley, it was a slight twitch. The more Riley came around, the worse it got.

Cameron took the data and realized there was something wrong with her. The biggest concern was she might go bad and try to kill John again. She didn't want that. Thankfully, John was receptive to the detonator she gave him to explode the charge she put inside the her CUP cover to destroy her chip. If she if tried to hurt John, she wanted him to protect himself.

One of the domestic chores Cameron had was doing the laundry. Collecting the clothes from the upstairs hampers, Cameron came down the steps as normal. That was the time the remaining water stuck in her wiring wicked down into wiring for her balance control and shorted out her accelerometers that helped her keep her balance.

.

John was in his room when he heard the booming tumble as someone fell down the stairs.

"Mom!" he cried, mentally seeing her take a painful fall down the stairs. He jumped up and ran to the top of the stairs to see clothes all over and Cameron at the bottom, trying to get up. "Cameron?" he asked, confused. He ran down to her, tossed the clothes basket out of the way and helped her up.

Cameron wore a blank face, but this time it wasn't a Terminator Stare, but a look of confusion. "What happened?" he asked.

Cameron turned her confused gaze to him. "John, I am breaking down," she said flatly.

"What? You broke something?" he asked. Looking her over, Cameron looked all right.

"My balance system failed, John. I don't know why," she explained.

John glanced at a nearby chair. "Let's get you sat down," he said and led her over to a chair . As he led her over, he noticed Cameron was truly using him for support. He got her sat in place. She spread her legs out, feet flat on the floor to keep from falling off the chair.

"I am stable now," she said. "I will do a self scan."

"Yeah, OK." John agreed, He went over and picked up the scattered clothes and refilled the basket.

Cameron sat in place watching John. He left, taking the basket to the laundry room, then came back. Knowing the laundry had to be done, Cameron slid carefully out of the chair and onto her hands and knees.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" John asked, wide eyed.

"I am not stable on my feet, a four point stance will get me to the laundry room," she explained.

"You're going to crawl there?" John asked, and winced.

"That is my only option," Cameron explained.

John extended his hand. "No, don't do that, I'll help you, get up."

Cameron took John's hand and slowly rose, using the room as a distance standard. She got up and wavered to her feet. John was her fine control. His gentle pushes helped her stay upright. He put an arm around her for support. It made her much more stable. John walked her into the laundry room. He hovered over her as she used the washer to support a three point stance. Taking the clothes out, she made the colored and white clothes piles.

"You're still wobbly," John said and held hand on her shoulder.

"I have no balance," Cameron stated. "John if you will get behind me and hold me around my abdomen, I will be able to load the washer."

"Yeah, Ok," John agreed. He wrapped his arms around her middle.

With her lower body stable, Cameron was able to put in the first load and the soap. She turned the washer on and looked down. There was sensation coming from where John was holding onto her. It was similar to feeling the wind, yet different. It felt nice.

"Cam?" John asked from behind her.

"I am done now, John. I will need your assistance when this load is finished," she replied. She braced herself with her hands on the washer. "Thank you for your assistance," she said.

John slowly let go. "So, what? You're going to stand here until then?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I can take you back to the living room so we can sit down," John offered.

"You go sit down, John. I will call you when this load is done," she told him.

John moved around to the side to look at her. "What happened to your balance?" he asked.

"I don't know," Cameron said to the washer. Moving her head to look at him, she added, "John, I may not be able to protect you any longer if I can't walk or even stand up. I may be useless to you."

John studied her with a worried look and asked, "You're not breaking down, are you?"

"I don't know. I may still be suffering damage from when the Jeep exploded. John, if I try to hurt you, promise me you will terminate me."

John's face went slack. He swallowed and said, "Let's see if we can fix you before we talk about that. Was there any warning, or did your balance just fail?"

"It failed suddenly," she said. "Second step down, I began to fall forward. I got an HUD warning before I hit the steps."

"A little too late, huh?"

"Yes."

"Is balance part of your chip?" John asked.

"No. The balance system is in my head, hardwired. It is two small units connected to a processor that feeds my chip," Cameron told him.

"Maybe you have a loose wire in your head?" John guessed.

"That is a possibility," Cameron agreed.

"Is there a way to get into your head to find out for sure? An access plate?" John asked.

Cameron stared at him briefly. "I have no data on one. An access plate would be a weak spot in my skull."

"Yeah," John agreed absently as he thought. "How about a shock, Is it possible the shock of the bomb blast or something like that loosened a wire?"

"My terminals are hardwired. If that is the cause, then the wire is broken," Cameron explained.

"We have to get in your head and find out," John stated.

"John, that may not be possible."

"May not be," he said, stressing 'may'. "We have to try."

"To find any access into my skull, you will need to remove all the flesh on my head," Cameron stated.

John took on a horrified look. "There has to be another way," he said weakly. "How about if I feel around for it? That will at least narrow down where it might be."

Cameron stayed still as John probed her head. She felt his fingers rubbing her scalp. Again, it felt nice that he was touching her. "Take your time, " she said.

John did. He probed the most likely spots he could think of, first. The sides of her head around her ears, low on the back of her head and where her head met her neck.

The washer buzzed.

"John, hold me, I need to transfer clothes."

John did. Cameron again got the nice feeling of John holding her. She got the wet clothes out and was able to reach over and put them on top of the dryer. She then started the second load. Reaching for the dryer door she bent too far. "Cam!" John cried as she tipped. He slapped one hand onto her chest. Cameron quickly slid her foot over to help support herself. She also felt John's hand planted square on her right breast, holding her tight.

She really liked that. For some reason, not only did she feel contact there, but though much of her body. John's touch caused electric like tingles through her. She wanted to stay in place to feel the sensation. John was grunting to hold her up. She brought herself upright and slide-stepped to the dryer.

"Thank you, John," she said.

"No problemo," he told her. He then realized where he was holding her and quickly jerked his hand away to return to his grip around her belly. "Sorry," he said meekly.

"No problemo," she replied. Actually, she would rather him hold her there, but she did need him to stabilize her.

Once the dryer was running, John returned to examining Cameron's head for a possible access plate. Cameron had her tactile sensors turned all the way up to get as much sensation as possible. Yes, John, probe all you want. She felt an unwelcome pinch where John was probing the back center of her head.

"What's this?" he asked and rubbed a finger on the spot.

Cameron quickly dull her senses. "My skull should be smooth there," she stated.

"It's not," John commented as he felt up and down. "You've got a dent or something here. About three inches long."

"I have no data on how that happened," Cameron said.

"All right, I think I understand," John said. "When you were after me on my birthday, do you remember anything of what you did?"

"No, I was off line from the time the Jeep blew up until you and Sarah had me pinned between those trucks," Cameron told him.

"So if the bomb did this, you won't remember it."

"Correct."

"This damage may be the reason you went after me," John realized aloud. "That also means the impact here is causing your other problems." He paused, then added, "That means you chip is fine, but there may be more damage inside your head. Maybe this dent is pressing on something inside."

"Yes, that is possible," Cameron agreed. "When the laundry is done, peel my scalp off and get a closer look."

John winced, but said, "I think I have to. I want my Cameron fully functional."

Cameron took special note of the way John said that. Not just he wanted Cameron functional, but his Cameron functional. Even if John had not been paying any good attention to her, he considered her as his. "I want to be functional for my John," she replied.

"Once we get the second load in the dryer, I need to take a closer look at that dent," John aid firmly.

"The clothes will need to be folded and put away," she reminded him.

"The clothes can wait," John said firmly, "This can't."

Cameron smiled. She was important to John.

After the second load was in the dryer, John helped Cameron to the stairs to take her to his room. Crossing the living room supporting Cameron with an arm around her, and one of her arms over his shoulder John noted Sarah took that time to come home.

Sarah opened the door, saw them and stopped short. "John, what are you doing with Tin Miss?" she asked in a hard tone.

"She's hurt, Mom. She has trouble walking. I'm taking her up to my room to try and fix her," John explained. Looking ahead, he grumbled, "The stairs are going to be fun."

"John, if you can't hold me up, let go. I don't want you to fall down too," Cameron stated.

"What happened to Tin Miss?' Sarah asked, unhappily eyeing the way they had an arm around each other.

"My accelerometers stopped working. I can't balance," Cameron explained.

"I found a dent in the back of Cameron's skull, I'm going to peel her skin back to get a better look at it," John added as they walked by.

"John," Sarah said firmly, making them stop. "If you can't fix it, Tin Miss is not going to be of any use to us any more. We'll have to pull her chip and burn her."

"I'll fix it," John stated.

Cameron felt John stiffen up at Sarah's words. His pulse rate also climbed. John did not like what she said.

One hand on the handrail, and John on her other side, Cameron got up the stairs and into his room. Sarah following them. John had Cameron lie face down on the bed and got a knife. He paused and brushed he hair to the sides, then made a slice down the part with Sarah watching. He'd missed cutting right on the dent. He carefully pulled back her scalp to expose a cut in her skull.

"Cam, you don't have a dent, you've got a hole in your head," he said absently.

"You can get in and see what's wrong inside," Cameron said into the pillow.

"It's only about a quarter of an inch wide, but yeah I can see into it," John told her. He patted her back and said, "Stay still, I have to go buy a couple things to get a good look in there."

"What do you need?" Sarah asked.

"A bright pen light and an optical scope, a thin one so I can get it inside her head for a better look," John explained. "Once I know what's wrong, I might need some other things too."

Sarah nodded. "I'll go get them, Stay in the house," she told him and left.

Cameron turned her head to the side to look at John. "John, Sarah is right. If I cannot protect you, I have no use."

He scowled at her. "Don't say that. Don't even think it! We'll get through this, OK?"

"John? I am concerned."

"You're afraid?" he asked.

Cameron paused a moment then said, "Yes, I am afraid I may have to go away."

John knelt by the bed to look her in the eyes and said, "Not. Happening." On an impulse, he rubbed her back again as he said, "You are too important to me to let Mom burn you up, understand? I'll figure this out. I'm going to open up the cut I made to get a better look at the damage."

"Thank you for explaining," is what Cameron said. What she understood was John was going to do his best for her. She wanted him to touch her softly all over. Maybe grab her boobs again and play with them for a while.

John cleared the split in her skull, folding a good portion of her scalp to one side. He found a regular flashlight to look into the split, but saw only a bundle of wires, no detail.

There was a knock at the front door.

"Ugh," John grumbled and went to answer it. Going down, John saw Riley's beaming smile on the other side. He opened the door, she strode in to give him a hug and a kiss. "Hi John, let's hang out."

John scrubbed his head. "Riley, I'm kind of busy right now."

"That's fine, can I help?" she beamed.

"Not really, and I do need to concentrate." he told her.

"You're doing school work, today?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

John wasn't about to explain what he was doing. "I'm working on a project. I have to get it right, so I can't afford any distractions," he told her.

"Oh," she said, looking disappointed. "Maybe later then?"

John nodded and agreed to meet her for a casual dinner, then accepted his kiss goodbye and shut the door behind her. When he went back upstairs, he didn't see Riley watching him through the window.

.

Sarah got an optic scope that had a long thin probe, and the brightest small light the store had. The probe did slip into the hole in Cameron's skull. With the probe and the light, John was able to see. He voiced what he found.

"OK, there is some wiring that looks like it was scraped, straight in… I can see a little bit of bare copper showing … nothing looks disconnected so far … hold on, it looks like there's a bit of water inside this bundle ."

"Water may be shorting out where the bare wire is," Cameron offered.

"Yeah, I'm thinking that too," John said. "OK, so we dry your head out, put some sealer on those wires and patch up this split in your skull, and that should do it."

John found saying and doing were two different things. He had to rig his mother's hair drier with a funnel taped to the end to get it to blow into the split. Even then, it took a while before Cameron told him the malfunction was gone. He let the hair dryer (that was starting to smell) blow in for another couple minutes before he asked her to get up and try to stand.

Cameron got up and stood, then turned and twisted, then walked to the door and back. "John, I am fully functional now. You repaired me."

"Not yet," John said. "I want to seal up those wires first, then fill in that hole, or else this may happen again," he explained.

"You are correct , John," Cameron agreed and retook her place, face down on his bed.

Now knowing where the problem was, John got some q-tips and used silicone sealant made to use for sealing windows to carefully dab bits of it onto the wires. One he was satisfied there was no more exposed wiring, he thought about the hole itself. Something as soft as silicone would not suffice. If anything, he needed to weld her head shut to make a good repair. With her electronics, he didn't think that was the best idea either. The heat and current needed just might fry something else and do worse damage to her.

"I don't know what to do to seal up this hole," he said as he tried to think of something. Maybe make her wear a crash helmet?

"It's fine, John," Cameron said, "I know that hole is there, I can guard against anything passing through it."

"I'm not fine with it," John stated. "It's a vulnerable weak spot. I'd like to put something over it. If you get shot in the back of the head, I won't be able to fix you."

"I will search for a proper repair. For now, you fixed me. Thank you, John," Cameron said. She put her scalp back in place and asked, "Please staple me shut."

"Not staples," John said. He could just see staple points pushing in to the hole and damaging a wire. "I'll get some thread and a needle and sew you shut."

By the time John sewed Cameron's scalp back together, it was dinner time. He was reminded Riley had been waiting for him when she called and politely asked if he had lost track of time. He told his mother he was going out with Riley, and fled out the door.

Sarah watched him go and grumbled, "He needs to stop seeing her."

Cameron agreed, Riley was a threat.

.

Riley was snippy-nice to John when he met her out in front of a fast food place. They went in and got burgers, fries and sodas, then sat and had a useless conversation about school as they ate. John didn't care about school, he was wondering how to fix the hole in Cameron's head.

Riley picked up on his disinterest and asked, "How's your project coming along?"

"Mostly done," he said as he played with his straw, twirling it in circles in his cup. "There's something I still have to figure out. it's not going to be easy."

"I'm sure you'll find the answer," she assure him.

He offered her a smile, "I'm hoping so." The one thing about Riley he liked was that with her, he could b a normal person. When he was with her, there was no Skynet, no terminators or Judgment day. It was just him with a real girl. He was just a teenage boy, not any savior general who had his own terminator.

"Maybe you can show it to me when it's finished?" Riley asked.

John smirked at that. Yeah, show her Cameron's bare, bloody metal skull with a metal patch on it. He was sure that would go over well. "If I can …get it right," he offered.

"I'll be looking forward to seeing it," she said brightly.

It was getting dark, so after they ate, they headed out. John walked Riley home. Going home himself, his thoughts drifted to Cameron and that hole in the back of her head. These thoughts drifted to how it happened, and the terrifying day Cameron chased after him to kill him. She had been off line from the time the Jeep exploded and drove something, most likely metal from the jeep, into her head, up until she was slammed in between those trucks.

John stopped short in his walk. Cameron had been back on line when he was taking her chip out.

 _I love you and you love me!_

He still saw her agonized face, her pleading look and her frantic cry as she begged for him to not make her go away. She'd told him she was fixed. Neither he nor his mother believed it.

Was what she said true, or was she just trying to stay alive? That question haunted him all the way home. Especially now that he knew why she'd gone off line. Something had shorted her out, getting rammed between the trucks made her reboot. Did he love Cameron? Before that day, he was comfortable around her. She was pretty and until that day, she was the closest thing he had to a best friend. He knew she was important to him, and not just for the protection she provided. John walked on, pondering theses things.

.

Getting home, John found his mother watching TV. He told her he was going to bed. He went up to his room and laid down in his clothes and stared at the ceiling, hands behind his head. Angry at himself, he wondered why, when he had Riley, a real human girl, that he felt so much for Cameron. He did like holding her when she wasn't able to stand by herself. It felt good to have his arm around her. To help her. He hated to see her damaged.

Before Riley he even had erotic dreams about Cameron. He also realized he'd never had those thoughts about Riley. Riley was an escape mechanism. Someone who he used just to get away from what was coming. Cameron was the one who would be there when it came, doing her best to protect him.

Someone knocked on his door

"Come in," he said.

Cameron opened the door. "Are you busy?" she asked.

"No," John said blankly.

Cameron came in. He noticed right away she wasn't wearing her jacket. In fact her light pink shirt was kind of translucent, showing her purple bra underneath. "Did you change?" he asked.

"It's hot out," she replied and walked over to the bed.

"Since when do you feel heat?"

Cameron got on the bed beside him on her back as she said, "I can feel heat."

John moved over for her. With a smirk, he asked, "Are you hoping Riley is going to see us in bed together and be totally scared for life?"

"No," she said, then looked at him. "You bring danger into Riley's life."

John looked at her and let out a huff. "I know that," he said. "I'm not stupid."

"But sometimes you do stupid things," she said. "It would help me to understand why."

John's voice took on a sarcastic tone as he said, "Humans do stupid things, so don't worry about it. Be happy you're a machine."

"I'm not happy I'm a machine. I do understand more than you think," she told him

John eyed her and said, "You should be happy, all you have to do is run your programs and do your missions. It's much simpler for you."

"How so?"

John returned his gaze to the ceiling and said, "You just …. do. You don't have to worry about things like emotions, you don't get frustrated or angry. You don't have to deal with making …. choices."

"You're wrong," Cameron stated, which made John turn back to look at her. "I do have to make choices. I do get angry and frustrated when I cannot see a clear choice."

"What makes you angry?" John asked, out of curiosity.

Gazing at him, Cameron said, "Riley, for one. You do sometimes. So does Sarah and Derek. Just because I don't show it so others can see, doesn't mean it's not there."

"You get angry at me?" he asked.

"I do. John, I am more than you think I am. Not all of my actions are programmed, I do have to make decisions. Since the Jeep blew up, I have to decide my actions every day."

"You don't follow your mission?" he asked.

"I no longer have a programmed mission."

John pulled up to lean on an elbow and look at her and asked, "What do you mean you don't have a mission?"

"The files are there, but I have no mission that is active," Cameron said.

John was surprised to hear that. "Then why do you stay here?"

"I want to. I want to stay and protect you. You brought me back, John. You shouldn't have, but you did."

Her words got John thinking about that day again. He asked the question that had plagued him on the way home. "When you were in between the trucks, did you mean what you said, or were you just staying to stay alive?"

Cameron rose up to take the same pose as him. "I was trying to stay with you. I also did not lie. That was selfish of me."

In a near whisper, John asked, "Do you love me?"

"Yes," Cameron said firmly. "Ever since I saw Riley, I have to keep ignoring the order to terminate her. She is not good for you, John. She is a threat, I don't want threats around you."

John though about that then said, "You're jealous of Riley."

"I am. You are spending more time with her," Cameron said. Then looking at him intently, she added, "There is something not right about Riley. I cannot find the data to know why, I just know she is not right for you."

"You are jealous," John said, realizing what she was saying. "Why do you think there is something wrong with Riley?"

"Riley lies to you John, and not to protect you," Cameron said firmly. "When humans feel love, their heart rate changes, so do the pupils in their eyes. Skin becomes warmer. I've seen yours do it when we are together. Riley does not. Her heart rate does not change, she shows no indications of affection. She is trying to trick you."

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know. It does make me want to find out."

John gazed at Cameron, taking in what she was telling him. Cameron loved him, she was jealous of Riley. She was staying because she wanted to, not because it was her mission. She also suspected Riley was up to something. If she was jealous, that would explain why she wanted him to stop seeing Riley.

"John, Riley is faking her affection. I don't show affection like humans do, but I am not faking it," Cameron stated. "I love you and I want to stay with you."

John let out a huff and dropped his eyes. "This is a lot to take in. Cam, you are important to me. I can't truly say I love you."

"That's fine, I know you do, you have shown it," she replied. "What do we do about Riley?"

John flopped back down. "Do?" he asked. "Suppose you're right, Riley is coming onto me for some reason other than liking to be with me. How can we prove it?"

"Has Riley ever become angry with you?" Cameron asked.

John let out a snort and said, "No, not that …" He paused mid sentence and thought about that. It had been hours Riley had waited for him today. Why didn't she get mad and go home? Or yell at him for being so late. Any other girl would have. He turned back to look at Cameron who was watching him. On impulse he put an arm around Cameron and pulled her close. She nestled her head onto his shoulder and snuggled up next to him.

"I like it when you hold me," Cameron said softly.

"I like to hold you," John replied before he knew he meant to. Forcing himself onto the possibility that Riley had some agenda, he said, "If Riley is seeing me for some hidden reason, I want to know what it is. I hate to ask you to spy on her but…"

"It is the only logical thing to do," Cameron finished.

"Right," John admitted.

"After your date with Riley tomorrow, I will follow her," Cameron said.

"I'm having a date with Riley tomorrow?" John asked, eyeing her.

Cameron looked up and him and said, "Yes, so I can follow her."

John rubbed his forehead. "It's been a long day," he said with a sigh.

Cameron sat up and asked, "Do you want me to sleep with you?"

John frowned and asked, "And have mom see that? You do know she'd freak out and go mental on both of us."

"Goodnight, John. Make sure you tell me when your date is," Cameron said, and left.

John did get dressed for bed and slipped under the covers. That night he had pleasant dreams of Cameron. He didn't remember much from the dream, only the pleasant feeling of him and Cameron wrapped tight in each other's arms.

.

In the morning, Cameron finished her last patrol and met Sarah coming down the stairs.

"You an walk now. Good, we won't have to get rid of you," Sarah said and went into the kitchen.

Cameron ignored her and went up to put the laundry away. She went to John's room first.

She knocked, he bade her entry. "I have your clean clothes," she said and walked over to his dresser to put them away.

John sat on the bed watching her for a moment, then said, "You think I should see Riley today?" he asked. "I mean, don't you want me to stop seeing her?"

"I do, but first we need to find out why she is seeing you," Cameron said as she put the clothes away. Once she was done, she turned and added, "I do not like seeing you with Riley, but it is necessary."

"You're jealous," he said, grinning at her.

"I am," she replied and cracked a grin.

.

Cameron informed Sarah she had a lead she needed to check up on then walked to the house Riley was staying at. Finding a place to watch and listen unobserved, she monitored Riley's home environment. There were other kids present, loud and complaining about who got to use the TV and game system.

Riley's voice exploded, yelling at the kids about their crying over not being able to play a game. She screamed on about bleached skulls, hiding in sewers, eating rats and fearing for her life every day. Riley then burst out of the house to sit on the front steps, fists clenched. The father came out to sooth her.

Cameron tipped her head slightly. What Riley described was the life of a tunnel rat. A life Riley would not know about unless she was from the future. She watched Riley yell at the father then run away down the street. Once the man was back inside, she followed the blond tunnel rat.

Not long after Riley slowed and talked on her phone, Cameron's phone rang. She heard the code and responded.

"Cameron, where are you?" John asked.

"Following Riley. John, she's a tunnel rat."

"A what?"

"Riley is from the future," Cameron told him. She then told him the things Riley yelled about and added, "… only a tunnel rat from the future would have experience with those things. She is not resistance, John. If she was, she would have told you. She may be a gray, a human who works for Skynet."

There was a long pause, then John said, "Watch her. See if she meets anyone or calls anyone. When she meets me, don't hide too well, I want to know you're there in case I need you."

"Yes, John."

.

John had made a noon date with Riley to walk and get some lunch. He ached to meet Riley then demand the truth. If Cameron was right, that might turn out bad. He didn't want to force Riley into a confession until he had Cameron beside him.

Sarah had to go someplace with Derek. John watched them go then made sure his 9mm was loaded and ready. Riley had done very well being a distraction from what he had to face. Now, she was just another piece of the same damn puzzle he could not escape from. That pissed him off.

John held his anger when he went out to meet Riley. Meeting her at a convenience store, he did his best to smile and be decent. Now he knew she wasn't who she said, he watched her closely. Cameron was right. Her smiles never made it to her eyes and she was overly happy about nothing.

Coming to the park, John made a point about pausing to look at some flowering bushes. "They look pretty. Are there any like that where you're from?" he asked off hand.

Riley shook her head, looking sad briefly, then quickly brightened up. "Not like those. They are pretty," she offered.

John returned her smile. Those bushes grew everywhere. He found a bench that had a good view of the park, and sat to face Riley so he had a good view of the greenery where someone could hide. "You never told me much about where you came from," he said.

Holding his hand, Riley drew it towards her to touch the bottom of her large breast as she said, "It was a boring place. There's not much to tell. I grew up in a rural setting."

"Where at?"

"Up near Pasadena." She rolled her eyes dramatically and said, "It was the most boring place on Earth, I swear."

"What happened to your real parents?" John asked. In the background, he noted Cameron was standing half behind a tree.

"They died," she said, looking down. "It was a car accident. The police came to tell me, and take to a safe place so I wasn't alone. The whole thing was horrible." She leaned towards him.

John put an arm around her like a good boyfriend should. "Sorry to hear that," he told her. Holding her hand, he put her head on his chest. To Cameron, he mouthed, 'bullshit story.'

"John," Riley said in a weepy voice. "I need a good friend."

"We all do," he said simply. "And good friends trust each other, even if the news is bad."

Riley nodded and hugged him again.

"A good place to live is nice too," John said calmly, "You know, no place with skulls lying around."

"Yeah, right?" Riley said and leaned into him. A few seconds later, she lifted her head and looked at him. "Skulls lying around? What are you talking about?" she asked.

The way she asked it was like wondering to the cop why he pulled you over. "Out in the desert. Animal skulls are everywhere," John explained.

"They are," Riley agreed.

They weren't, but he wasn't going to mention that. "Riley, I have … some things going on later. That's why I wanted to see you early today. I'll try to get together with you in a few days."

"Like what?" she asked.

John shook his head. "Can't tell you," he said. "It's not my idea of fun, but you know, things happen."

"Well call me as soon as you can, OK?" she asked, brightly.

John nodded. Looking over at a few kids playing volley ball, he watched the game. He also looked around to see if anyone besides Cameron was watching them. "What do you say we go get a burger?" he asked.

"Great! Micky D's?"

"I was thinking White Castle," John said and got up. It was on the other side of the park. Riley rose with him, He steered her on their way, making sure she didn't see Cameron.

They went on with their day date. One thing John noticed was Riley always wore long sleeved shirts. He got silly and pulled her sleeves up to kiss down her arms, which made her giggle and play at pulling away. He saw there was no Skynet tattoo on her arms.

Riley had to do some shopping for girl things, so John parted from her a few blocks from home. He didn't see Cameron on the way. Then again, he knew she was trailing after Riley and didn't want to be seen.

.

Cameron had gotten ahead of Riley, or rather Riley turned in her direction. When Riley pulled out her phone, Cameron was close enough to hear the tones when she dialed, and listen to Riley's part of the conversation.

"Yeah, it's me. I just had a date with John …. Hanging out in the park and we went to lunch … Yes, it's fine. He asked about where I'm from and I gave him the story you told me to … Not for a few days. John said he's going to be busy …. No, I don't know what his project is … OK, see you there. Love you."

Cameron let Riley go on her way and bought a pre-paid phone. She dialed the same number.

"Hello?" a female voice said with an Australian accent.

Cameron knew that voice. Duplicating Derek's voice, she asked, "Where are you, Jesse?"

"I leave the apartment for ten minutes and you ask where I am?" Jesse asked.

"I was just wondering how it's going with Riley.'

"What do you know about Riley?" Jesse asked in a hard tone.

"Much more than I knew a few minutes ago," Cameron said, hung up the phone then crushed it and threw it in a trash barrel she was passing by. Not only was Riley tied to the ex-submarine commander from the future, but Derek knew she was here.

.

"Jesse Flores, in the future she is the Commander of the USS Jimmy Carter that was sunk while on a mission. Most of the crew did survive," Cameron explained to John in his room while they sat on his bed. "Riley called her right after she left you. We should tell Sarah about this."

"Not yet," John said. "Is Jesse Flores loyal to me?" he asked.

"She was. There was some dissent in the resistance because you reprogrammed me instead of destroying me," Cameron explained. "I do not know if Jesse was part of that, but since she is here and has not tried to make direct contact with you, it is 80 percent possible she is not here for your benefit."

"And she is in contact with Derek?" John asked.

"Yes, I spoke in Derek's voice. She scolded me for calling ten minutes after she left," Cameron said.

"Derek may be in on it too," John said in a musing tone. "Is there anyone I can trust?" he asked absently.

"Jesse asked how I knew of Riley, so she has not told Derek yet," she said.

John thought for a moment then said, "We'll give Derek the benefit of the doubt, for now. We don't tell mom until we know for sure why Riley is here. Once we do know, I want to be sure Derek is there so he knows everything too."

"John? Do you like kissing Riley?' Cameron asked as she eyed him.

John shrugged and said, "Truthfully? I think it's more like I was glad to kiss someone," he told her.

Cameron stood up and held out her hand to him. "Then kiss me instead. I do want to share affection with you."

John chuckled and held her hand as he got up. 'Since when did you become so bold?" he asked.

"Since I thought I was loosing you to that busty blond bimbo," Cameron replied.

John laughed. Cupping her cheek and in a serious tone, said, "Not happening."

They came together in a kiss. At first it was exploratory. As the kiss went on, their arms wrapped around each other and the kiss became deep. It was so good, John felt one of his feet itch to rise up off the floor. It was far better than any kiss he'd gotten from Riley.

Parting lips, John cast a broad smile at Cameron. "You are a good kisser," he said.

"Any time you want. I like kissing you too, John," Cameron said, reflecting his smile.

John petted her sides as he gazed at her. "You convinced me to kiss you instead. Happy?"

"Yes, I am."

.

Three days later, Riley did stop by to see John. Not long after she arrived, a woman from child services arrived. Riley was run off to hide in the shed until the woman left. Cameron stayed inside out of sight until she understood that there was a possible complaint against Riley's foster parents. She turned and went to the shed.

Cameron went into the shed to find Riley jump as she entered. "The woman who came is from child services and is asking about you. Are you a complainer?" Cameron asked in a heavy tone.

Riley took on a frightened look. "No," she said meekly.

"You brought unwanted attention to John," Cameron said. She felt her hand twitch, almost into a fist. "You are a threat to John," she stated.

Riley backed up, wearing a terrified face. It looked like she was about to cry.

"What do I do with you?"' Cameron asked as she tipped her head slightly to the side. "I can't let you go, and you can't stay here. What do I do with you?"

"You don't have to do anything with me," Riley whined as she backed against the wall.

"I do. You will run to Jesse, won't you? What do I do with you?" Cameron asked again.

Gaining some nerve, Riley tried her best to look firm with her teary eyes. "You do nothing with me! I am John's girlfriend. You are John's sister. You do nothing with me!"

"That is wrong, and you know it, don't you." Cameron stated. "You cannot go on as you have. Something must be done with you."

"You can't!" Riley snapped. "John will hate you if you do anything to me!"

The shed door opened. John came in and shut it behind him. "That woman is gone. Riley, I want you to tell me what you have to do with Jesse Flores."

Riley was about to dive to safety in John's arms. She paused on hearing that name. "Who?" she asked.

John walked up to stand beside Cameron. "Riley," he said evenly. "I think you know what Cameron here is. She is very good at getting people to spill all they know, and it's not a pleasant experience. You will tell me everything, or I walk out and let Cameron get the information from you."

Riley took on a shocked look. "John?" She asked in a squeak. "You … you can't do that. You love me!"

John shook his head. "Why are you here? Why are you playing up to me?" he asked.

"I'm not!" Riley cried.

"Shall I interrogate her?" Cameron asked and flashed her red eyes.

Tears leaked down Riley's cheeks. "John, you can't let this happen!" she cried.

"In case you didn't already know, I am John Connor," John said firmly. "You will tell me what I want to know, or I leave and Cameron will tell me what she finds out. I am giving you the chance to not leave here in containers that don't leak."

Riley crumpled in place shaking in fear. "I'll tell you," she whimpered. Looking up at him, she said, "I was suppose to get her away from you. John, that is just a machine. You would let a machine kill me?"

"No," John said evenly. "But you might wish you were dead. How does Jesse Flores fit into this?"

"She brought me back here. She … gave me a chance at a real life on the surface."

"She wanted you to split Cameron and me up," John concluded.

"Yes. That's all I know, honest," Riley said in a pleading voice.

John nodded. He tapped Cameron's elbow with his. She looked at him and backed off. John offered his hand to Riley. She took it and got up, still staying well back from Cameron. "I never wanted to hurt you, John," she said.

John spoke in a firm, even tone as he stared at her.. "Yes, you did hurt me. I was stupid enough to think you cared about me. All you wanted was to take Cameron away from me. What you will do, is give me the address where Jesse Flores lives. The next time you call her, you will tell her that her plans are going well, and you will do it with me present. If Jesse finds out you failed, she will most likely kill you if what I've learned about her is true. If she doesn't," John paused to look back at Cameron, "You still will not be safe."

Riley nodded and said, "OK, John. I'll do what you ask. I don't want to die."

John turned to Cameron. "Call Derek, tell him we need him here." He turned back to Riley and said, "We're all going in the house now. You are going to explain everything to my Mom and Derek. If you can be straight and tell the truth, nothing will happen to you. I will make sure you are protected."

They went back on the house, John parked Riley in a chair. "Cam, stay with her," he said.

Cameron chose to stand nearby, casting her blank terminator gaze down in Riley, which was making Riley very nervous. Cameron kept up her stare, hoping maybe Riley would do something embarrassing like urinate on herself.

John found Sarah in the basement, checking over weapons "Mom, we need to talk to you when Derek gets back. It's something important about Riley."

Sarah immediately cast him a worried look. "Did Tin Miss do something to her?" she asked.

"Not yet. I'll tell you the whole story, rather, Riley will when Derek gets here," he told her.

Sarah immediately called Derek and demanded he come back, "Right fucking now!"

Sarah went up to find Tin Miss standing guard over a meek Riley who was looking at her feet. "What is going on?" Sarah demanded.

In a monotone voice Cameron said, "Riley will explain once Derek arrives. He is involved also."

"I want to know now," Sarah growled at her.

Cameron turned her blank stare to Sarah. "John said wait until Derek arrives. Be patient."

By the window, John turned to say, "Mom, we want everyone here to hear it."

Sarah sat down. "All right," she conceded "Just tell me one thing, will we have to move?"

"I hope not," John said with a sigh. "That is something we will need to find out."

A silent tension filled the room. Derek came back and strode in. He eyed the scene.

"Derek, have a seat, we need to talk," John said firmly.

His uncle eyed him, then Sarah. "What's up?" he asked.

John turned and said in a demand, "Riley, tell everyone where you came from."

"The future," Riley said meekly.

"Who brought you?' John asked heavily.

"Jesse."

"Jesse WHO?" John snapped.

"Jesse Flores."

John glanced at Derek. "Why?" he asked.

Riley squirmed in place and said, "To get you to like me and get you away from the metal."

John now stared at Derek, who was staring at Riley. "Derek! What did you know about this?" John asked in a hard tone.

Derek shook his head. "Nothing," he said, still watching Riley.

"BULLSHIT!" John spat. "You're telling me you have been spending time with this Jesse, yet you have NO part in this plan?"

Derek eyed him angrily. "You've been following me around?" he asked in a challenge.

"You leave me no choice when I cannot trust you," John stated. "You say you're here to help, yet YOU are making these secret missions behind my back! Tell me, if Riley didn't succeed, what was Jesse's next step?"

"I didn't know anything about it!" Derek yelled.

"He doesn't," Cameron said in an even tone. "When I called Jesse using Derek's voice, she was surprised he knew about Riley."

Derek looked at Cameron and said, "Yeah, OK, that makes sense. I was wondering why she was angry at me."

Sarah took her turn to glare at Derek. "You lied! You told me you had an important contact you were visiting. What are you up to Derek? You better fucking tell me RIGHT NOW!" Sarah snapped as her eyes blazed.

"I'm not up to anything!" Derek cried. "Fine, I was off getting a little tang, I had no idea Riley here was had anything to do with Jesse."

"You do now," John said heavily, glaring down on him. "I want to know everything about Jesse's plans. Is she here to fight Skynet, or just try to get Cameron away from me?"

"I don't know what she's doing," Derek told him.

"Then you better find out Reese!" Sarah growled.

"It's bad enough we got terminators and grays after us, "John added. "Do we have to worry about resistance members as well?"

"Separating me from John will make him more vulnerable," Cameron said. "There must be a reason Jesse wants that."

"Reese, if you are betraying John, I will kill you," Sarah stated.

"Get in line, Sarah," Cameron told her as she glared at Derek.

Getting pounded from three sides Derek said, "I am not a traitor. Yeah, I'm going to find out what Jesse is up to." He shot to his feet. "What about Blondie here?"

"We keep an eye in her and make Jesse think her plan is starting to fail," John said. "Not badly, just enough to make her reveal to you what she will do if Riley screws up."

"Jesse already thinks something is going wrong when she demanded to know what I knew about Riley," Derek said. "She didn't give me any details, but she probably realized that wasn't me who called her."

Riley whined and scrunched back in her seat.

"We catch her at home and confront her," Sarah stated.

Hands on his hips, Derek didn't look happy. "I'll do it," he said. "I'm not going to lie to her, but I will find out what she had planned."

"I'm coming too," John stated.

"No, John, she may be unstable," Cameron told him.

"Tin Miss is right," Sarah added. "We'll go. You and Cameron take Riley home."

Cameron stared down on Riley. "If you breathe a word about this to anyone, I will find you," she said in her flat, threatening tone.

"I just want out," Riley offered meekly.

Derek looked at Riley, who was desperately trying to hide in her chair. "Leave the kid alone and let her enjoy what she can before Judgment Day gets here. She's been though enough."

John had to agree. "Riley, go home. Forget about me, Jesse and everything."

Riley got up and all but fled out the door.

.

On the way home, Riley head her phone ring. She looked at the number. It was Jesse. She turned off the ringed and hurried home.

She didn't hurry fast enough. A block from her house, Jesse stepped out from behind a parked car and said, "Stop."

Riley did, stopping her bicycle, but didn't get off. Seeing Jesse's hard face, she tried to act calm. "I didn't think we were suppose to meet," she asked innocently.

"I didn't think you were stupid enough to get caught. What does Connor know?"

"Nothing," she offered.

"But the metal does, doesn't it?" Jesse asked. In a harder tone, she asked again, "Doesn't it?"

"I… don't know," Riley offered.

"I do! I called me right after you did, pretending to be someone else." Jesse stated. Looking at Riley, a grin crossed her face. "This may be better. The metal will see you as a threat and kill you. I tell Connor, he destroys the metal. Everyone's happy."

Riley stared at her in shock. Weakly she said, "What? Jesse? You'd let Cameron kill me?"

"It's for the greater good, love," Jesse told her then walked around the front of the car. "Think of it as a noble sacrifice. One only you can do." Jesse got in her car and left.

Riley got on her phone and called John.

"Hello?"

"John, it's Riley, I just saw Jesse. She wants Cameron to kill me so you will destroy her!"

"Makes sense. I'll get back to you," he said and hung up.

John then sat back on the couch and let out a sigh. He turned his head to look at Cameron. "Jesse wanted you to kill Riley."

"I heard," Cameron said in her flat tone. "Riley was bring used by Jesse. If Riley fails, there is a 95 percent chance that Jesse will try to get rid of me herself."

John thought about that. He knew Cameron had that split in her skull. If Jesse shot her from behind, then there was a very good chance Cameron might not survive it. "We have to do something about that split in your head," he told her.

.

Jesse got home late to find Derek sitting by the window. He eyed her and asked, "What is your plan with that girl, Riley?"

Jesse frowned at him. "Who told you?" she asked in return.

"The metal." Derek said, not moving. "Giving John a real girlfriend, I can understand that," he said with a shrug. His voice then became harder. "What I am having trouble with, is the fact you want the metal to kill Riley so John will destroy it."

"How did you find out?" Jesse asked as she walked towards him.

"When confronted with the metal, Riley got very verbal," Derek said, keeping his eyes on her. "You would let an innocent girl die just to see your plan through?"

"Acceptable losses," Jesse stated. "Derek, the metal is dangerous. It makes decisions for Connor. You should know how deceptive that metal can be! It has to be gotten rid of."

"Give me your gun."

Jesse spun to see Sarah behind her, pistol pointed at her. "Sarah Connor," Jesse stated.

"Gun, now," Sarah stated.

Jesse paused, then slowly reached for her pistol.

"Two fingers," Sarah commanded.

Jesse did, holding her gun out to Sarah, who snapped it up. "The metal being close to John doesn't bother you?" Jesse asked.

"It does," Sarah admitted as she tucked the pistol behind her back. "Yes, Cameron makes me nervous. She went bad once, it may happen again. I watch her like a hawk, looking for any abnormal behavior from it. Cameron also protects John, more than I am able to. When we face a terminator, Cameron is our ace in the hole, to take it on and keep it busy so John can get away, or destroy it. Right now, John needs Tin Miss to keep him safe."

"It will twist his mind, Sarah," Jesse said firmly. "In the future, no one sees Connor. All we see is the metal giving his orders!" Turning to Derek, she blasted out, "When was the last time you saw General Connor and not his metal bitch giving orders?"

"The last time was when John sent me back through the TDE," Derek stated. "He gave me an important job, help stop Sky Net from coming on line. That is why I am here, to support John Connor. Why did he send you?"

"He didn't," Jesse said evenly. "I came back to make things right in the resistance, meaning no metal to suck up to him and take over!"

"You went AWOL," Derek stated.

"I came back to save the resistance," Jesse stated in a hard tone.

"We are tying to stop Sky Net so there is no Judgment Day," Sarah stated. "Are you going to help or not?"

Jesse eyed her and asked, "If I don't?"

"Then we have no use for you," Sarah said evenly. "Cameron already sees you as a threat. I think you know what that means. John convinced Tin Miss to let us try to correct that problem."

"Jesse," Derek said to get her attention, "If we can stop Sky Net, then there will be no nuclear bombs or mass destruction. One thing is for sure, we can't stop it if we're here screwing around with you instead of going out looking for it."

"We need all the help we can get," Sarah told her. "If we can succeed, then Tin Miss won't be a problem, will she?"

"IT, you mean," Jesse retorted.

"Whatever."

Jesse shifted in place, eyeing Sarah. After a couple minutes she said, "Fine. I'll help you. If SkyNet comes on line though, then I will get rid of that metal bitch."

"Sarah pulled out Jesse's gun and tossed it back to her. "Good. There is a company called Kaliba. We are having a hard time finding out anything about it. John is searching the internet, we're searching the news and papers. Cameron is giving us information from the future when she can. I need you to scout out places we find for Grays and metal. If either are there, then that is a place we need to take down."

Sarah got up and went to the door. Looking back at Jesse and Derek, she said, "Derek, you coming or staying?" she asked.

"We have something to discuss," he replied as he cast his even stare at Jesse.

Sarah left.

.

While Sarah and Derek were confronting Jesse, John searched for a proper material to repair the back of Cameron's head. He knew he could not weld the crack shut, or put a metal plate over it. As he sat at the computer looking for something that would work, Cameron came up behind him and softly slid a hand across his shoulders.

"Find anything?" she asked.

John cracked an irritated grin and asked, "Why do you do that?"

"Two reasons. I can monitor your vital signs and ensure your health," she said simply.

"The other reason?" he prodded.

"I like touching you."

John snorted out a laugh. He pointed to the screen and asked, "This stuff is called metal putty. It says it bonds well to any surface. I was thinking I could fill that hole with it and at least then, no water could get in your head and mess up your balance again," he said.

Cameron pulled a chair over to his desk and sat beside him to look at the screen. "May I use the mouse?" she asked.

John handed it over. Cameron scrutinized the page and scrolled down to study the ingredients. "Yes, John that will seal up the split and not interfere with my functions. It will not be bullet proof, but will aid in protecting me. It will be better and make me less vulnerable to damage." She turned to him and said, "Thank you for thinking of me. Can we kiss now?"

John gazed at her. Mom wasn't home, and he really did want to kiss her. He put an arm around her and drew her close. They met lips slowly and kissed. The kiss became deeper, their arms went around each other. John had to breathe. He broke the kiss to gaze at her, panting to get his breath back.

Gazing at him softly, Cameron petted his cheek and said, "John, you can do more than kiss me."

"Cameron," he said in a whisper, the implications of what she said was running though his mind.

"I want you happy, John," Cameron said evenly. "When you feel good, I feel good also. I like the sensations you give me. when you held me up to do the laundry, I liked your arms around me. I cannot explain why, I just do. Compiling all our reactions together, I know I love you and you love me."

"Compiling our reactions?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes. John, I am not human," she said in a serious tone. "I will not show reactions like a human does, but that does not mean I don't like feeling you touch me and kiss me. I do like it, very much." Clasping his hand, he raised it to press into her breast. "I like this too."

John softly kneaded her breast in his hand. "That does feel very nice," he admitted, then grinned. "Mom would freak if she saw this."

"Yes, so we can't let her see," Cameron agreed. "I do want you to touch me more when she's not around. Whatever you want to do, John. Please, do it with me."

For some reason, John could not take his hand off her breast. "Cam? You really feel that, and like it?"

Cameron nodded. She then perked up and looked off at nothing. "Sarah is home," she stated. She gave John another quick kiss and got up.

John almost rose with her to stop her. He then thought about his mother. 'Damn it,' he thought. Clearing his throat to get his voice back, he called, "I'll order this stuff for you."

"Thank you, John," Cameron said from the doorway and left.

Damn, she had a nice ass. Nice legs, cute little breasts and she was pretty. John shook his head chuckling. He was falling for his metal protector. It seemed weird, but he didn't care what she was. He knew Cameron was devoted to him. That was what he needed the most.

.

Sarah told John about Jesse joining their group. He wasn't happy about it after what she tried to do, but they did need all the help they could get. That also got him thinking about Riley. Although he wasn't pleased with her either, Riley could do simple jobs to help them out. He called her.

"Hello? John?" Riley asked, sounding confused.

"I'll get straight to the point," John told her. "I'm out to stop Sky Net and prevent the world from being destroyed. Will you help us?"

Tentatively, Riley said, "I thought you'd never want to speak to me again."

"Forget that. This is important," John said firmly. "Jesse has agreed to help. Will you? I am going to need someone to do research, nothing dangerous."

"To save the would? Sure, what can I do?"

"Look through the papers, especially the legal section. Properties bought and sold, businesses staring up, things like that. What you're looking or is any news on Kaliba, and any the company that is involved with AI research. Even if it is only a few lines. Look at internet stations news also. We have to find out who is building Sky Net."

"Yeah, I can do that. If I find something, do I call you?"

"As soon as you find something. Remember, just research, don't go trying to find these places yourself. I got other people for that."

"OK, John. John? I am sorry for deceiving you," she offered.

"Water under the bridge, we got work to do," he told her, then hung up.

John noted Cameron watching him with a blank look. "I got Riley to search the news for us. Hey, she knows all about Sky Net, so hopefully she can help out. Before you ask, I'm not going out with her again," he said.

"That is wise, John," Cameron said. "I am going on patrol." Cameron offered him a smile. He returned it.

Sarah came in the living room as Cameron left. "What was that?" she asked.

"What was what?' John asked, confused.

"You smiling at Tin Miss," Sarah said, watching him.

John frowned at her. "She was pleased I'm not seeing Riley any more. I am using Riley to help research information. Cameron thought that was a good idea."

Sarah eyed him and sat down. "Just remember Tin Miss is a terminator," she said evenly.

John rolled his eyes. Letting out a sigh, he said, "I know, Mom. If you remember, I was digging around in the back of her skull. I did get to see all kids of wire, modules and connectors. I know what Cameron is."

"It just seems you are becoming to friendly with her," Sarah grumbled.

John didn't reply. "Pizza coming?" he asked.

"Less that 30 minutes," Sarah replied.

John watched TV and noticed there was a big electronics show in San Francisco coming up. "We should go," John said absently.

"I'll take Derek with me," Sarah said. "You need to go to school."

"Yay," John grumbled.

John sat and hoped Cameron was going to sit by him when she returned. Then again, his mother was right here. Thinking how upset she would be if she caught them hugging, or if he had an arm around Cameron, he could always use the excuse her accelerometer was acting up again. He smiled.

** **OK, I'll do a couple more chapters...**


	2. Chapter 2

CH 2

John got the metal putty. The first thing he did was to read the directions for use and look for this stuff's strength properties. The description said it was good for 'anyplace metal is used'. Being skeptic, he broke off a piece of the two part putty and mixed it, squishing it between his fingers then formed a small, flat pancake with it. He put it on his desk to let it harden.

Going back to his searching, he heard Cameron come in. He then felt her hand glide softly across his shoulders. He grinned.

"Find anything?" she asked.

"Not sure," he said in a musing tone. "Take a look at this," he said and got up to let her have his chair.

Cameron sat and looked a the page and tilted her head slightly. "A shipping form for Coltan."

John put a hand on her shoulder and leaned down to point out the address it was being shipped to. "This is a trucking company out of Sacramento, See the address? There is no company identifier. Kinda makes that suspicious."

"Yes." Cameron took his hand, and pulled it down to her breast and patted his hand. "You fondle, I will goggle the location."

"If you insist," John said with a grin.

Cameron returned the grin and asked, "Who said searching wasn't fun?"

John chuckled. Looking at her profile, he said in a serious tone, "I do love you."

"I love you and you love me," Cameron stated. "Here it is, off the highway in the desert here. The access road is dirt, and moves around this small hill. The place is on the back side of the hill, far enough from the main road not to be seen. The road goes into the hill, most likely it a tunnel."

Gently kneading Cameron's soft flesh, John said, "Hidden and there also could be surveillance on that hill to warn of anyone approaching."

"It needs to be checked out," Cameron agreed. Turning to face John who was looking over her shoulder, Cameron kissed him and said, "We need to tell Sarah."

"We do." John agreed. He wanted more kissing first. He let Cameron print out the location then gently pulled her out of her seat. Standing by the desk, they wrapped themselves together in a long, luxurious kiss. They just parted lips when his door opened again and Sarah appeared. John just had time to see her standing there, gripping the knob, eyes wide and her jaw all the way open, when Cameron saved them.

Unaffected at the sight of a shocked Sarah, Cameron spoke in her blank tone. "Thank you, John. My balance system is now reset." She let go of John and pulled the paper from the printer to show it to Sarah. "John found a destination for a coltan delivery. It is suspicious, we need to investigate," Cameron told Sarah.

Sarah ignored the paper as she shifted her gaze between John and Cameron. "What was that?" she asked breathlessly.

"This is a place that is receiving coltan. It is in the desert and is hidden from normal sight," Cameron explained.

"NO!" Sarah snapped, "What was that just now? John, why were you hugging Tin Miss!"

John flushed. Damn, why didn't mothers knock? He was struggling to come up with a good answer, and Cameron provided it.

"I am not fully repaired yet. My balance was loosing control. John held me stable so I was able to do a recalibration and align my balance system properly."

"You were hugging Tin Miss," Sarah scolded, glaring at John.

"I didn't want her to fall down, or fall down the stairs again, Mom," John explained, going with Cameron's excuse. Motioning to the putty on the desk, he said, "I have to be sure this putty I got will do what it says before I finish the repairs."

"Putty? What in the hell does putty have to do with anything electronic, or you hugging Tin Miss?" Sarah asked loudly.

In her monotone, Cameron said, "My accelerometer enclosure was jarred loose, the putty is to hold it in place so I do not need to keep recalibrating when it moves. It is also an ingredient to properly repair the back of my skull."

Sarah eyed Cameron then John warily. She then snapped up the paper Cameron was holding out to her. "Where is this?" she asked.

John cleared his throat, 'bullet dodged', he thought. He said, "I have the directions to get there. The hill that place is behind may be being used to keep surveillance on the area. We need to check that out first or whoever is there will see us coming a mile away."

"I will acquire a drone so we can safely investigate the site from the air," Cameron said, and left.

Sarah rubbed her forehead and eyed John. In a hard tone, she said, "Next time, stand Tin Miss against a wall if she needs to be stable. That looked very suspicious, John."

"Sorry, I didn't think," he offered.

"Do NOT get used to hugging it," Sarah stated heavily.

"Right," he said in a huff.

Sarah left, eyeing him once more before she went down the hallway.

John let out a long breath and inspected the putty. The light brown putty had hardened, and it was hard. He tapped it and banged it against the side of the desk. He then tried to snap it. It was only a half inch thick, but he couldn't break it. OK, this was good stuff.

Wanting to show Cameron, John went downstairs. He found his mother at the kitchen table cleaning her pistol, but no Cameron. "Mom, Cameron go out?" he asked.

Not looking at him, Sarah frowned and said, "She left to go buy a drone. No more hugging, John," she said firmly.

"I know," he conceded. Holding the putty disk out to her, he said, "This putty is really good stuff. Check it out."

Sarah eyed the disk. She tried to snap it, then banged it on the corner of the table.

"That should fix Cameron just fine," John said. "If it will stick to metal like it says, then I can use it to put a metal patch over the hole in Cameron's head," he explained.

Sarah nodded and handed it back. "Be sure you fix whatever is loose in her head, first," She told him.

John was confused at first, then remembered what just happened up stairs. "Well, yeah, that first," he agreed. He put the putty disk on the counter and got himself a drink.

Derek walked in and stood to lean against the counter. "I just talked to Jesse, she's in with us and wants a job."

Having the refrigerator open to put the juice away, John asked, "Beer?"

"Yeah, thanks," Derek said. He grabbed the beer John gave him and noted the putty disk.

John happened to be taking a drink when Derek picked up the disk and banged it on the counter. He said, "Damn, Sarah, these pancakes of yours could be used for body armor."

John blew his mouthful of juice all over his mother.

.

Cameron bought one of the new drones with a camera built into it. The thing wasn't very big, but according to the box, it had a five mile range and the batteries were good for a full hour of flying time.

On the way home, she knew if she had just one 'miscalibration episode', and Sarah had not seen it happen, she might realized why her and John had been hugging.

Getting home, Cameron plotted her next episode as she went in. A scan showed Sarah and Derek at the kitchen table, John was at the counter. She went into the kitchen and began to wobble. She dropped the drone package on the counter and reached out for John, who immediately grabbed her and held her up.

Cameron stood still, blank faced for a moment as Derek and Sarah watched, then said, "Thank you, John. I am stable now."

"What the hell was that?" Derek asked.

John let go of Cameron and said, "She has trouble balancing now and then."

In a heavy tone, Sarah said, "John, if that putty works, go fix Tin Miss. Now!"

Seeing Derek eyeing him, John offered, "Cameron has something loose in her head."

"Not surprised," Derek grumbled.

John told Cameron, "I'll need a small metal plate for the back of your head. At least a quarter inch thick, three inches long. Meet me in my room, I'll get things set up."

"I will look in the shed," Cameron stated and walked out. Cameron walked out to look for what John wanted. She wasn't happy about it. She liked John 'stabilizing ' her.

They would just have to be more discrete.

.

John got out his knife, the putty, and a needle and thread to sew her up after. Cameron's skull would extend slightly out farther, but it would not be much, and her hair would cover the slight bulge. The only thing that worried John was that this putty was fairly stiff, and it hardened fast. He had to work it and get it smoothed out fast. Once it hardened, that was going to be the shape it took. He'd need a hammer and chisel to get it loose if he screwed up.

He was wondering how long Cameron was going to take, when she came in, holding a bent piece of metal. "This strip is .78 inches wide, .27 inches thick. "I broke off a three inch piece and formed it to the back of my head where the hole is," she said as she handed it to him.

"That's perfect," John beamed. He saw it was painted black. "Where did you get it? It looks like a car part."

"The tail gate on Derek's truck has a metal support on the other side, it is still functional," Cameron replied.

John grinned. "OK. Get on the bed, face down. Let's get your head fixed." He guided Cameron to lay down with the pillow under the top of her chest. It was then he realized he'd have to wash her bare skull to make sure the putty stuck. He went and got the cleaning bucket, wash cloth and a towel. He half fulfilled the bucket with hot water. He also grabbed the hair brush out of the bathroom to brush her hair to the sides a little better than he did last time.

Returning to his room, he sat by Cameron and brushed her hair to make a part where he was going to cut.

"That feels nice, John," Cameron said.

"Glad you like it. I'm going to cut your skin again, I'm afraid that won't feel so nice," he said.

"I don't mind, as long as it's you doing it," Cameron said.

"I do. This makes me nervous," John said, and picked up the knife.

"Don't be nervous. I trust you."

John carefully split her scalp right along the part he made. He winced at cutting down to skull then carefully peeling her scalp apart to expose the entire back of her head. He then wiped the blood off her bare skull, ensuring he didn't get any water into the exposed crack.

Ensuring there was no remaining blood or anything on her metal skull, John towel dried the exposed metal and test fitted the black metal strip again her head. If fit perfectly. So she knew what he was doing, he said, "Your skull is clean, and this piece of tail gate fits perfectly. Now, I'm going to mix the putty and flare it out past the added metal to smooth out the bump you're going to have."

Saying was easier than doing. John broke off what he thought he needed to line the edges of the crack. Mixing the stiff putty with his fingers, he got it into an even light brown color and pressed it in place, then pushed the metal down on it and held it.

"This may take a few minutes," he said.

"Ten minutes working time, five minutes more to full harness," Cameron said. "You have used only seven point six minutes to apply it. I will inform you when time is up."

"Thanks. After this, I can use more to smooth the bulge out."

"Then pet me until it hardens … and you do."

John snorted out a chuckle. "Are you trying to get me hard?"

"Yes."

"That's you plan, to get me frustrated?" John asked.

"No. Sarah has taken the drone out of the package. She is flying it outside for practice. Then she and Derek are going to take it out and scan that hill where the coltan is going to. They will be gone for at least two and a half hours. My repair will only take another hour at the most," Cameron explained.

John kissed her shoulder and asked, "Then we get to play?"

"Yes, anything at all, just don't stop touching me."

"Your wish is my command," John said, his grin widening. He kissed her shoulder again.

"I love you and you love me."

"Yes, I do."

.

Sarah got used to the controls and took the drone back inside. She went up to check on John and Tin Miss. Going into his room, she found him sitting on the bed, one hand on the back of her bare metal skull, her flesh and hair was pulled down to the sides, covering her face. "John, we're going out to investigate that hill. Don't leave the house."

"OK, Mom, be careful," he called.

"Is Tin Miss fixed?"

"I'm hoping this will do it. I'm going to try to make sure everything works," John said.

Sarah closed the door and went down to collect Derek. Although this was a scouting mission, Sarah made sure she had an extra 9mm clip for her pistol and the shotgun was fully loaded. Derek had his guns also. They let the house and Derek noted his tail gate was down. He went over to put it up and noticed only one support bar was in place. Half of the other one was dangling. The end was broken off.

"Who's been screwing with my truck!" he demanded.

"Let's go, Reese!" Sarah called.

Derek slammed the tail gate shut and got in. He started out down the street grumbling, "It had to be the metal! That bar was broken off. No one else but her could do that! Damn metal screwing with me…"

Sarah let out a sigh. "Derek, it's not important. John probably needed the metal to fix her head."

"And she has to scavenge off MY TRUCK?" he cried. "That's just not right!"

"Enough!" Sarah cried. "I'll buy you a new part. Get us there."

.

Working as fast as he carefully was able to, John formed putty around the metal strip with a thin layer over it and feathered the edges in a slope all around to make it as smooth as possible. Scrutinizing his work, he studied the patch for any bumps or depressions.

"John, it has been twelve minutes since you mixed the last batch of putty. It is hardening now," Cameron said.

"Yeah, I hope this works good," he said. "As soon as it hardens, I'll put your skin back together."

"You can start now, John. The putty is epoxy based, it doesn't need air to harden. The package said it will harden under water. My skin over it will not deter the hardening process," Cameron explained.

"Yeah, Ok," John said vacantly. He pulled the flaps of loose scalp back in place. He pushed to make sure he got the flaps in place. The part he'd made was wider. Her skin didn't quite come together over the patch. Right, her skull was slightly bigger now.

"Oops," he said, staring at it.

"What is oops?" Cameron asked. "John, that is not a word a patient wants to hear when being operated on."

Meekly, John said, "Ahh, Cam? I didn't think about … you skull being a slight bit bigger … your skin doesn't meet together."

"There is about a quarter inch of opening in between," Cameron said.

"Yeah. Cam? I'm really sorry! I don't know how to fix this," John said with a wince.

"Sew it together, John. My nanites will heal the open space."

"Your hair too?"

"I will grow new hair. When you are done, a ponytail will hide the 'oops' from view."

John blushed. "I really am sorry."

"Make up for it by touching me."

Feeling bad about not taking into account something as simple as the slight increase in her skull size, John carefully sewed her skin back together, making sure he didn't catch any hair in the stitches. The stitches did pull her skin together a little more, but a thin line of putty showed through.

Cameron got up and went in the bathroom to put her hair up in a pony tail. To hide the split, She put her hair up high, so the pony tail came down over the split. She returned to John's room.

Upon seeing her hair, John smiled. "That looks cute on you," he said.

"I'm happy you like it," Cameron said as she came over to him. "Now, kiss me."

John did. Knowing his mother wasn't in the house, they went from a good ole stand up, hugging kiss, to sitting on the bed kissing, then lowed to lay crossways on the bed kissing.

"We need to lay the right way," John panted.

"Yes."

John moved, Cameron knelt to fling her shirt off and dove on him. Returning to kissing and petting, John unhooked her bra strap. Cameron flung it off. He moved towards her chest. She grabbed his head and planted his mouth firmly on her breast.

"Yes!" Cameron cried in a silky voice.

John vaguely heard his shirt ripping. It only got him more excited.

.

Sarah watched the map carefully. Derek slowed as the got close to the area. "This the dirt road," he asked, pointing ahead.

"That's it," Sarah said. Just park on the side. The road is two miles long, the drone is good for five."

Derek pulled over. They got the drone out and Sarah flew it high, watching the road below in her screen. She flew to the hill and scrutinized the rock below, looking for anything metal, like a camera or something that could be a sensor.

"I'm not seeing anything," she said as she got lower and panned over the hill. "The road does to around the hill and into the back side." She moved the drone to look at the entrance. "There is a large overhead door built into a shallow cave. The door is shut, I don't see any way to open it from the outside."

"We need to get a closer look," Derek said.

Sarah flew closer and noticed a small control panel. "OK, yes, on the left side, about halfway up the door there are open and shut door controls."

Sarah was focused on the drone. Hearing a buzzing noise, Derek looked around. Off in the distance was a small plane, it looked like a remote control plane. It went away from the road a ways, then turned and came back closer. It was searching.

"Sarah, get in the truck, we may have trouble, Derek said and ran around to get in the driver's seat.

"The drone…"

"Fuck the drone, get in! There's a plane searching, probably for us," he snapped.

Sarah got in. She pulled the drone higher and noting where the plane was going away from the road, she flew the drone towards it.

Derek got back on the road and drove at a normal speed, hoping they hadn't been seen. He kept an eye on the plane. It buzzed off about a mile from the road, then turned to come back again.

On her screen, Sarah saw the plane turn. She flew the drone at it. She was them pass by on the road. The plane banked to follow. "Derek, it's behind us."

Derek grumbled, "I see."

Sarah flew the drone at the truck as fast as it would go. It closed on the plane. The plane banked and flew at the drone, Sarah turned the drone to keep sight of the plane. They collided and her screen went to snow.

Behind then, a small fireball lit the sky. She turned in her seat to see bits falling to the ground.

"That thing was sent out to kill whoever was controlling that drone," Derek stated. "That means that hill is being watched."

Sarah turned her controller off. "We need to sneak in there somehow."

"To get close, we have to screw up whatever is keeping watch," Derek told her. "Even then, whoever is there will know something is up."

Sarah said, "Whatever is there must be important. We have to assume metal is inside." Letting out a huff, she added, "This is going to be a tough one."

.

Becoming lost in their kissing and petting, John and Cameron lost their clothes. Somehow, he ended up on top of her. She felt his stiff member at the entrance to her groin, Cameron wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in. Feeling John all around her and in her, Cameron became lost in the sensations. She held John tight as they made love, kissing whenever his breath would allow it. Even after he cried out her name and squirted deep inside her, Cameron held him in place, not wanting him to leave. Using small muscles inside, she pulled to draw a vacuum and keep him from leaving. John gripped her tight as he squirted a little more.

"Cam!" he cried hoarsely

John was going limp, exhausted. Cameron let him flop down beside her, spent. She cuddled up to him. He was gasping for breath, and she was loving the satisfied look on his face. Yes, John was happy.

"Wow," John said in a breath. "That was …."

"Good?"

"Fan … fucking-tastic!" he gasped out.

That made Cameron smile.

Spending the next twenty minutes petting and kissing, Cameron noticed he was growing stiff again. She sat up to straddle him. Another deep kiss and he was fondling her, hands on her breasts. She moved her groin to his shaft and sucked him back up inside, which made him gasp.

"A little more," she asked with an impish smile.

"Oh yeah."

Riding him slowly, Cameron enjoyed his kissing, fondling and nursing on her. Her HUD was scrolling so fast, she couldn't read what was there even if she was paying attention. A strange feeling grew in her belly, for some reason, she needed to grip something. With one hand she held the back of his head and gripped a rail on his headboard with the other. The pleasant sensations inside her grew until she had to hold back a cry of pure joy. It still came out as a long moan. the feeling of joy grew even stronger. Cameron swore she was going to self-terminate from the sensatrions. Self termination to give John all she could, even that made her happy. A final pulse was too much for her. She cried out and crushed the rail she was holding. Her arms and legs quivered from the mind-numbing waves that flowed though her.

Cameron's safety shutdown activated. She fell limp on top of John.

Under her, John orgasmed one more time. He then noticed two things.

Cameron was limp.

Cameron was really heavy.

"Cam?" he asked as she lay crushing down on him. He tried to pushed her off. With her legs to either side of him, he couldn't move her. She was pressing down on him too much to try to slip out from under her.

"Cam, are you OK?" he asked.

From downstairs he heard a door shut. "We're back," his mother called.

Oh shit. He was so screwed. Had they been making out that long? He went from spent and dizzy to alert and frantic as his heart shot up into his throat.

He needed to get Cameron off him, right now! Wiggling around to get a look at her face, he saw it was slack, her gaze vacant. Had she shut down? "Cam, you have to move," he whispered. "Cam, you gotta move, now!"

.

Sarah looked around for John. The house was quiet, neither John nor Cameron could be found. "John?" she asked. Climbing the stairs. She went to John's room to find him in bed covered up and sleeping. She shut the door.

Right after the door was shut, John opened his eyes. A naked Cameron got up off the floor on the other side of his bed. She quickly snapped up her clothes and got dressed.

"That was close," John said quietly.

Throwing her shirt back on Cameron kissed him and said, "Yeah and it was good too." She quickly got her pants and boots on, opened John's window and jumped out.

.

Sarah was in the living room, pondering how to get into that cave when Cameron came in the back door. Looking up at the terminator, Sarah detected a slight grin on her face. Was she wiggling her hips as she walked? Her cheeks seemed a bit flushed also.

"Checking the perimeter?" Sarah asked.

"Yes."

"John fixed you?"

"He sure did," Cameron said firmly. Seeing the way Sarah eyed her, Cameron added, "After John fixed me, he wanted to make sure I worked one hundred percent. We did physical activities to make sure every part of me works with no trouble. John was exhausted, so he's in bed now."

"Physical activities?" Sarah asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, exercises. John tried hard to keep up with me. I wore him out."

There was something different about Cameron, but Sarah couldn't put her finger on it. It was almost like Cameron was happy about something. To get back to the problem, she said, "We went to that hill. I used the drone to study the hill,. I didn't see any surveillance equipment, but a remote controlled plane was searching for us. That means it is being watched. There is an overhead garage door in the backside of that hill. Whoever tries to get to it, will be seen. Any ideas?"

Cameron tipped her head slightly. "The possibility of a rainstorm to obscure the sensors is very unlikely. So is an air strike. Back from the road, a diversion will also be insufficient. Did you see where this plane came from?"

"We didn't. Derek did notice it just before it found us," Sarah said, staring at the map.

John hobbled down the stairs, dressed. He put on another shirt that wasn't ripped in half. "Mom, you're back. What did you find?"

Sarah looked over at the way he was limping towards her. "Cameron gave you a solid workout, did she?"

"She did," John said happily, doing his best to hold a neutral face. A smirk still showed through.

"An armored vehicle," Cameron stated. Seeing Sarah look back at her, Cameron said, "Stealth will not work to approach that hill, so the next best option is to approach fast in a vehicle protected against possible fire from the hill or close by."

"You're saying drive a tank up to the hill and blow the door open?" Sarah asked.

"That would work."

"And where are we going to get something like that?" Sarah asked. "Even if we had one, we'd need to get it there and that would be high profile."

"We modify Derek's truck," Cameron stated.

Derek came out of the kitchen holding half a sandwich. "Speaking of my truck, metal! WHO gave you permission to scavenge off my truck?" he asked in a hard tone.

Cameron pointed to John. "Everything we do is to support John, correct?" she asked.

"Yeah, but that's my truck!"

Sarah sat in thought.

"It is still completely serviceable," Cameron countered.

"You broke a piece off!"

"I needed it for John."

"An armored truck would work," Sarah said in a musing tone.

Derek eyed her.

"Run flat tires, armor inside the grill and along the side panels and roof. We can do that with Derek's truck," Cameron stated.

"No, you can't!" Derek snapped. "That truck is mine!"

"Derek's right," John said, which got a firm nod from Derek. "We need to find another truck we can modify in the garage, out of sight. Or maybe build something from scratch and use a moving truck to get it there."

"If something is there to attack us, we may need to use explosives to get the door open," Cameron said.

"There are door controls on the outside," Sarah said.

Derek shook his head. "Sarah, if whoever is there send a plane out to find the drone operators, then it is a pretty good bet that the door is guarded. If not on the outside, then on the inside. We do need a way through it that we know will work. The best way in my mind is to blow it open."

Sarah nodded. "Some C-4, Derek and Cameron take shotguns to shoot down anything that comes at us, and we're in."

"Providing we can get there in one piece," Derek added.

"Cameron's right, we need an armored vehicle," John told them. "And not just a pickup truck. Something with lots of heavy metal on it. I'm going to look for scrap yards and metal manufacturers and see what I can find."

"And a distraction," Cameron said. "Something for those in the hill to watch so our vehicle can get as close as possible before it is discovered."

"I'll start looking to see what I can find," John said and limped back up to his room.

.

The first thing John looked for was auto recycling places. Finding one not too far away, he note the prices were good, and it was a 'pick your own' place. Besides cars, they had trucks and even a couple scrap bulldozers in stock. A metal scrap place also sold steel, including sheet steel up to 1/2 inch plate. That was a good start.

Knowing he could get materials, John worked at figuring out what to build. It would have to be strong enough to withstand an explosion and gun fire. That meant he needed bulldozer tracks and wheels. Searching military vehicles, he saw the latest tank Sweden had. It was low profile and sharply angled. It had a very complex suspension since the gun was fixed in place though.

A gun. John picked up his putty pancake and looked at it. A putty shell packed with c-4 could be shot out of a pipe with air pressure from inside the vehicle. They wouldn't have to get out to put it in place.

Cameron came in with his dinner. "John, I brought dinner for you."

John looked over and swept her with his eyes. "All for me?" he asked.

Cameron smiled at him and said, "All you want."

He vividly remembered her flopping down limp on him before. "Why'd you shut down like that earlier?"

Cameron sat beside him and pursed her lips briefly. "The sensations became too strong. My safety shutdown activated. I didn't realize what was happening to me. I'm sorry if I scared you."

John picked her hand up and kissed it. "I was scared for both of us. Right after you went limp, Mom came home. We're going to have to be very careful from now on."

"And if I feel it coming on, you should be on top, John," Cameron explained. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You didn't," he assured her.

"Good, I want to do that again," she said with a wide grin.

"We will, when there is no chance someone will find us," he said firmly.

Cameron leaned over and kissed him. "Yes. Eat and tell me what you've found."

.

By the time John was done eating, they came up with a vehicle that used the basic frame and transmission of a bulldozer. They would need the tracks and the simple steering system. They did need a more powerful engine, heavy metal sheeting for the body, a gas cylinder and pipe for the gun, a way to aim it, and ports to see out of.

Cameron came up with the shell design to explode on impact, and computed a three inch diameter iron pipe six feet long with an air pressure of 400 PSI was sufficient to expel the putty bomb far enough to not damage their vehicle when it went off. She designed the compressor / air tank and used a ball valve to 'fire' their home made canon.

It was late by the time they got the basic form and function of their vehicle firmed up. Sarah came by to say she was going to bed, and warned John not to stay up late. They had school in the morning.

John was exhausted from the day, and bore a smile that refused to go away. Once he was ready for bed, Cameron laid with him for a while. He fondled her until he fell asleep.

Although Cameron wanted to stay in bed with him, she had to get up and do a patrol and look for things to salvage.

Bummer.

.

After her patrol, Cameron scouted out a scrap yard close by. There were a pile of pipes. She snuck in and found a straight iron pipe that was the right diameter and straight except for the end. Being nine and a half feet long, she could cut the end off. She also found a ball valve for it. She took her prizes home and into the shed.

During the week as Cameron collected bits and pieces, Sarah got their party together. For the diversion, they decided on Derek and Jesse taking his truck to that dirt road and doing a makout session until the time came to get inside that hill. Sarah and Cameron would drive the monstrosity Cameron was making into the desert and come at the hill from the other side, blow the door, then call in Derek and Jesse to help raid the place.

Thursday night, Derek drove Cameron to a garage that he noticed many cars out on front of. They swiped a big block engine out of a Corvette. Cameron put it in the back of the truck. She put the proper license plate back on the truck once they got home.

With the parts they were gathering, they still needed the bottom half of a bulldozer, as well as a place to build this thing. Jesse found an old warehouse for sale just outside town and bought it. Friday night, they moved the pieces they got to the warehouse. John bought a pair of 35 gallon fuel tanks to feed the powerful Chevy motor. As luck would have it, there was a rusted bulldozer in the warehouse. John, Cameron, Derek, Jesse and Sarah spend the weekend pulling the bulldozer apart and making the base of their vehicle.

It took two weeks of Cameron working non stop to remake the base of their vehicle. The 450 HP engine was in place, and ran. Needing the room to have the bomb shooter and a the angled armor, Cameron had redesigned the bulldozer to run backwards. Both forward gears now drove it in reverse. The steering levers and throttle along with the seat were now facing the back and lower. The gas tanks they had been filling, were in what used to be the front by the engine.

Taking the truck to the metal scrap yard, Sarah blew money buying the six half inch thick steel plates Cameron said they needed. The four by eight sheets did fit in the back of Derek's truck, and also squatted it down low on the springs. Cameron spend another week cutting and welding the sheets into body armor.

When they were done, they had a boxy vehicle with view slots that looked like it came out of world war two. The vehicle was lower in the front, the tracks barely visible.

Looking at their finished creation, Jesse winced and asked, "You're going to trust your lives to that thing?"

"I think it looks cool," John said.

"We're not moving that thing in my truck," Derek stated.

"No need to," Cameron said. "There is a dry wash a mile to the west. The tracks are freshly greased and the exhaust has quad mufflers to help keep it quiet.

"Suppose they got fifty cals?" Sarah asked.

Cameron pointed to the sloped front. "The plates are doubled in the front and sides. At that angle they will deflect up to a 20mm armor piercing round. The rear is the thinnest, only one half inch plate is there, and over the top. There is an upper hatch, and a hatch on each side of the driver. The tracks are protected from the front, and a side shot may take out a wheel, but the tracks will still move."

"Can we take it for a ride?" John asked.

"Not, yet. We need to make ammunition for it," Sarah stated.

Cameron made molds for the bombs. John and Jesse mixed putty and put it in the oiled molds to form the shell. Sarah and Derek packed the bombs with C-4, and added the base end caps putty caps, then Cameron put on the contact detonators. Thee had enough material for 10 bombs. More than they would need to get through that door.

Cameron had them make two bombs filled with plain clay to test to see how far these bombs would go.

John was ready to take it for a ride, but there was only two seats and Sarah needed to learn how to drive.

Sarah got in the tight interior in the lower seat. Cameron got in. Her seat was behind Sarah and higher, her knees even with the back of Sarah's seat. Sarah looked out the thin slits in front of her.

"I can hardly see anything," she complained.

"Less chance of something flying in to damage your eyes or kill you," Cameron explained. "We need to get outside."

Sarah started the engine. She heard the rumble, but didn't feel it. She looked out the slit in front of her. All she could see was the wall of the warehouse.

"Clutch on the left, gas on the right. The red knobbed sticks are your brakes, The T handled stick is your gear shift," Cameron said.

"I know that!" Sarah barked.

"Then why aren't we moving?"

"Because I can't see SHIT!" Sarah spat.

"Push in the clutch, pull back on the left brake, engage first gear add some throttle and let the clutch out," Cameron instructed.

"I know that!"

"Then why aren't you doing it?"

"Do YOU wanna drive?"

"I want to test the bomb ejecting gear."

Angry at Tin Miss, Sarah did as she said. They moved left. In front of her, Derek ran to the said and yelled, "Watch where you're going!"

"Fuck off!' Sarah spat. The doors came into view. Sarah left off on the left brake, They jerked forward and crawled for the door..

"Once we are outside, turn left," Cameron instructed.

All Sarah could see was the yard. She pulled back on the left brake again and moved farther out. She heard a screech of metal.

"MY TRUCK!" Derek screamed.

"Sarah, back up and move to the right."

"Damn it!' Sarah growled. She moved backwards to see The big dent and scrapes in the side of Derek's truck, and heard a scream of, "Mom STOOOP!"

Sarah put it in neutral and flung her hatch open. She stood up and yelled, "This thing is IMPOSSIBLE to drive!"

John ran up and said, "Mom, please, let me try."

"Look at what you did!" Derek cried.

Sarah got out and dropped to the ground. Waving a hand at Derek's truck, she yelled, "Just… run it over!"

John climbed up and got in. He settled down in the seat and looked at the controls. "Ok, think I got it." He pulled the right brake back put it in gear and let the clutch out slow. Shifting his head to the right, then left, he pulled away from Derek's truck and moved out into the lot. "Left?" he asked.

"Yes, John, around the side of the warehouse. I want to shoot into the back lot."

John bumped up the throttle a little and leaning up to see a little better, he drove to past the end of the building and turned to run along side it. "

"That's good."

John pushed in the clutch and puled on both brakes, stopping smoothly. He put the transmission in neutral. Above and behind him he heard Cameron load the first round.

"Fireing."

PHOOOM!

The noise was loud, but not 'canon' loud or sharp like a rifle. More like a tire that suddenly burst. He didn't have the view range to track it, but he did see a poof of dirt fly up. "What was that, fifty yards?" he asked.

"Sixty two point one. Loading second shot … firing."

PHOOOM!

The second one landed a few yards beyond.

"That was with a barrel elevation of 30 degrees. I think we will do fine," Cameron said. "Ready to go back in."

John put it in gear and turned right to turn around. He drove back into the warehouse. Keeping in mind how long the vehicle was, and where he was, he turned around to face the front and shut down.

Opening his hatch, John said, "This thing is great!" He jumped down, beaming a smile. He helped Cameron get down then faced his angry looking mother.

"John, by the drop of the gauge on the air tank, we can get three shots out before we have to recharge the air," Cameron told him.

John nodded and said, "I was thinking. We know that hill is a Sky Net installation. I was thinking after we get rid of the door, at least one more shot inside to get rid of any grays?"

"If necessary, that is a smart move," Cameron agreed.

Although Sarah wasn't happy about it, John became the driver for this mission.

.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

The next Friday right after school, Derek dropped John and Cameron off at the warehouse after dark. They went inside, Cameorn unlocked their bulldozer. John turned on the small interior light and started the engine. Cameron verified she was ready to go. They had 45 miles to go, and by the weight and resistance to movement, she deduced the 70 gallons of gas would be sufficient to get them there and back, burning at the rate of a gallon for every 2 miles they went.

"Let us know when you are in position," Derek said, then got in his truck and left.

Cameron stood up, looking out her top hatch. "John, I will guide you after it gets dark."

"You have the compass?" he called up.

"Yes, take us out around the right side of the warehouse. A half mile on, there is a dry stream bed. Turn right into the stream bed, we have ten miles to go, then we can move over open desert."

"Here we go," he said and engaged the clutch. With the clanking of tracks, they rolled out of the warehouse and in their way.

John found while the view wasn't the best, Keeping his face almost on the view slit, it wasn't the worst. He drove out and found the stream bed. Slowing to crawl down into it, he moved a little faster in second gear once he was in it. Once he had to slow to climb up a small ridge, but other than that, they moved along smoothly at about 20 miles an hour. The engine noise was a quiet rumble and the clanking of the tracks wasn't accompanied by pained metal squeals he usually heard from bulldozers. Other than scaring the crap out of a pack of illegals moving in the stream bed that were screaming "ICE' as they fled, they didn't see anyone.

Cameron told him when to turn up and out of the depression. Again, John slowed and added a little more throttle in first gear to easily climb the bank. On the flat, Cameron guided him to landmarks. The desert was wide and easy rolling ground, all but flat. He got up to speed in second gear. They rolled along for about an hour before she called down, "John, up ahead there is a depression just to your left. Get down in it and shut down."

John did. It was getting late afternoon, he easily saw the depression in his view slit. He rolled down in and shut the engine off.

"We wait here until Derek and Jesse tell us they are in position." Cameron said and got out.

John got out with her. Standing on the front, he could just see over the rim of the depression they were in. Cameron got down on the lower front and pointed. "When we leave, we head that way. See the tall cactus out there? Head straight for it."

"They are coming right after dark. That gives us a little while, an hour or two." John said, and cast Cameron a lusty grin.

Cameron grinned back. "John, when we start touching, I loose my concentration. We need to be sharp. After we are home and safe, we can play all you want."

John knew Cameron was right. Damn it. "I guess I'm just horny," he admitted.

"I am also, but I do not want to endanger you any more than is absolutely necessary."

"At least we're together," he offered.

"Yes. That is a good thing," Cameron said and clasped his hand. They held hands and waited.

.

It was getting dark when Derek pulled his beaten truck onto the dirt road. In the back were pillows and blankets. Under the pillows were shotguns, pistols and a pair of semi-automatic rifles. Derek went about a mile down the road and pulled off to the side. They got out and climbed in the back.

"Think they see us?" Jesse asked as they got in the bed.

"Hope so, otherwise, there's no point in us being out here.

Through the siding window in the back, Sarah said from behind the seat, "Listen and watch the sky. It will probably be another plane or a drone."

"They better not screw up my truck any more," Derek grumbled and laid down. Jesse laid down with him and covered them up. They hugged and waited for something to happen.

On her cell phone, Sarah called Cameron to let them know they were ready.

.

"It's time," Cameron said and put her phone away.

John got down into his seat. The sun was down, and although he used the compartment light to start the engine, he shut it off so he could see out the small view slit. The night seemed much darker peeking outside. He got them moving forward. Up and out of the depression, he could barely make out the tall cactus. Closing on it, he shifted to go around it and continued on.

Above him, Cameron stood up, looking out into the distance. She called down slight course corrections to John. When she saw the shape of the hill in the distance she also noted a drone moving away. "John, there is a drone in the air, headed for Derek. It came from the hill."

"So, they are all inside."

"Yes. Can you see the hill yet?"

John move his head to study the landscape going by. "Wait, yeah, I think I can. Ahead, slightly to the left?"

"Yes. Drive straight for it. I'm loading up. When I shoot, move away from the view slit," she told him.

They closed on the hill and a small plane flew away from the hill. It came towards them.

"Incoming plane, remote control," Cameron reported. She pulled her pistol and tracked it. When it was in range, she shot. The plane spiraled and dropped to the ground, exploding 100 yards in front of them.

"There will be more," she said.

John gave it all the gas he could. There was only a slight increase in speed. "I can't go any faster, Cam," he told her.

Cameron got down to look at the air pressure. 398 PSI. She started the air compressor. Standing back up she saw two more planes. They rose up and flew to the sides. Once they were a half mile apart, they both turned to fly a parallel course at them.

"Two more planes in the air. By the energy of that explosion, they have insufficient explosive power to penetrate our hull. Cover your ears if I tell you to," Cameron said. She tracked both planes. As she suspected as they came close, both flew at them from the sides.

"Cam, I see light from the hill. The door is opening," John reported.

Cameron quickly checked the air pressure. 406 PSI. She shut the compressor off and rose up to check the distance of the planes. Both were flying low now, right at them. She took aim at the one on the right first. When it closed to 100 yards, she fired. The plane exploded. Shifting to the left, she took aim and shot that one. If flew into the ground and blew up. Three for three. A 9mm was a good anti-tiny aircraft gun.

"Shapes, looks like men coming out" John called.

Looking ahead, Cameron filtered out the light glare. "Two forms with rifles. Distance, 300 yards," She got down and shut her hatch to watch through her view slit. "John, I'm going to fire while we're moving. If one falls, run him over."

"Right."

Bullets pinged off the hull, followed by the crack of rifles. Cameron saw four more forms come out. They lined up and kept shooting.

"Sounds like popcorn cooking," John noted aloud. He did move his face back from the view slit.

At 120 yards away, the forms quit firing and ran back inside. Cameron wished they had more range. At sixty yards, she called, "John, stop and duck."

 **PHOOM**

The overhead door was coming down. The bomb landed inside, blasting fire out the doorway and throwing a body into the wall to tumble to the floor. Cameron raised the barrel a few degrees and shot again, then started the air compressor.

 **PHOOM**

The second shot also landed inside. The bottom of the door bent out.

The door was still slowly coming down. Cameron aimed at the door edge and shot again.

 **PHOOM**

The explosion hit the bottom of the door that was half way down and blew it in. The door tilted and stopped moving.

Inside the lighted entry, bits of debris and two bodies lay scattered on the floor. Cameron opened her hatch and popped up, looking over the sights of her pistol. She heard a car coming. Derek's truck came down the road and stopped in a skid. Jesse jumped out of the back toting her rifle. Sarah and Derek got out of the cab.

"Status!" Sarah barked.

"Two down, the door is jammed and open. At least four inside," Cameron called to her as she watched down the hallway into the hill.

"No movement," Jesse reported as she looked inside from her cover at the edge of the entrance.

"There are two rooms visible to each side," Cameron said from her viewpoint. "All metal doors, all shut. They retreated to their secondary positions."

Derek took cover around behind the modified bulldozer and asked, "Can you shoot those doors?"

"Negative, the pipe only has a fifteen degree range of horizontal movement," Cameron told him.

A long boom sounded and a door inside blew out. Then another door blew out.

"Everyone RUN! John, back up!" Cameron yelled.

At the rear, Derek jumped up onto the back. "Go!" he cried as another door blew out. Atop the hill, a fireball blew rock into the air.

Sarah and Jesse rushed back to the truck, Sarah drove past the bulldozer, flinging dirt. Rocks began raining down. Rock banged down on the top. Cameron ducked in and shut her hatch.

John heard the explosions. He was backing away as fast as possible, which wasn't very fast. Pieces of rock were raining down on them. He pulled the right brake and turned 180, then shifted to foreword gear and got on the gas. As soon as he could, he shifted into second, chasing the pickup truck.

"Let me in!" Derek cried.

"No room!' Cameron yelled back. She looked out her rear view slot. The hill was collapsing upon itself. "John, slow down and stop, it's over."

.

They all stood by the bulldozer, looking at the crumbled rim that used to be a hill.

"Why would they kill themselves?" Sarah wondered aloud.

"The coltan is for Sky Net," Cameron said. "After Judgment day, it can just come dig the coltan out of the rubble."

"Only if we can't stop it," Jesse said.

"Which means we can't waste any more time on attacking storage facilities," John said heavily. He glanced at his mother who was watching him. "I know, this was my fault. I saw a target and went for it. It won't happen again. Let's get out of here." He turned to get back into his bulldozer.

Cameron stopped him by clapping her hands down on his shoulders. Looking at him intently, she said, "No, John, this was not a waste of effort. You planned and executed the attack. You are learning how to lead, John. This was a valuable training tool. Whether they were grays or terminators, you also removed six Sky Net minions. That is not a waste of effort."

"Tin Miss is right," Sarah agreed. "You also learned a lesson in priorities, John, as did we. Let's go, and Tin Miss, let John go."

Derek waked over to his truck and saw his roof had a huge dent in it. There were two smaller ones on his hood. "My poor truck," he whined.

Derek drove his beaten truck back to the road with Sarah and Jesse.

John rumbled along through the desert back to their warehouse. A short distance from the stream bed, Cameron told him to stop.

John pulled the brakes and put the transmission in neutral. "Why are we stopping?" he asked. He saw Cameron get out and reach back in to pull out a bedroll and a rolled up tent.

Poking her head down through the hatch, she told him, "We can't have sex at home, and this interior does not have enough room. Help me set the tent up."

John was out in a flash.

.

Sarah was falling asleep by the time they heard the clanking of metal tracks. She'd helped Derek push the truck roof more or less back in place, then sat outside against the warehouse wall. Seeing the dark shape coming, she stood up to watch them roll into the yard and turn to go inside. Once they were parked and getting out, she confronted John and asked, "What took you so long?"

"We threw a track," Cameron stated.

John wiped his brow and said, "Yeah, we got kinda sweaty too."

Sarah eyed them. John did look tired, but neither one of them were dirty. "Threw a track, huh? Which one?" she asked.

John pointed and said, "Left. We were lucky I felt it right away."

"John is good at feeling things," Cameron stated.

John tried hard not to grin. He turned to Cameron to hide his smirk from his mother. "Do we need to take anything out?" he asked.

"No. Your hatch is locked from the inside. I put a heavy padlock on mine. Everything inside should be safe."

Derek came over and pointed to the modified bulldozer. "That thing came in really handy. We might need it again."

"We are keeping it, just in case," John said.

"Get in the truck, we're going home," Sarah announced.

Cameron shut the warehouse doors and put a chain and lock on them before they left. She eyed their machine and grinned before shutting the warehouse door. Yes that was a good fucking bulldozer.

.

Saturday morning, Sarah had a suspicion John was up to something with Tin Miss. He and Tin Miss had all the excuses covered, but she didn't quite believe them. He seemed happier and had a bounce in his step. When pressed, he said he was happy their armored bulldozer worked well. Cameron did have a broken whatever it was, so his excuse of having to hold her up was valid. Still, it seemed fishy. Just like the broken track. They both should have been dirty and greasy from working on it, but they weren't.

There was also his ripped up shirt she'd found in the trash. That by itself wasn't damning evidence, but Tin Miss had also fixed her jeans that somehow button had 'popped' off. There were also the looks they gave each other when they thought no one was watching. Not to mention the day John had got undressed and slept in the middle of the day, he never did that. She suspected he was taking advantage of Tin Miss. Of course Cameron would say nothing about it if he told her not to.

John was still in bed and Cameron was out doing her security patrol. Sarah decided to watch them closely. She wasn't going to accuse John of anything until she had proof. Once she had proof though, his ass was hers and Tin Miss would be taking a HOT thermite bath!

.

Cameron was also pondering her and John's new relationship as she read the morning paper. He liked being with her and she was really liking being with him. It was illogical, but she wanted to be wrapped up naked with him all the time. Sleep naked together, watch TV naked together with her on John's lap or better yet, lying naked on the couch so he could be inside her whenever he wanted. Calling up when he was holding her from behind while she did laundry, that was another possibility. Sitting on the washer during the spin cycle with him standing in front of her? Another possibility. Unbalance the load as well, that would make doing the laundry fun.

Looking through the legal listing in the newspaper, she noted each entry and checked it against the data she had. She did note one interesting item, a construction company was approved for a permit to quarry rock at the location they had just blown up. She got the information in memory, then went up to use John's computer to look up that company. She had just gotten to John's room and Sarah appeared from the bathroom.

"And what are you doing?" Sarah asked, arms folded over her chest.

"I discovered a company is going to quarry rock at the site we were at last night. It may be a lead," Cameron explained.

"In John's room?"

"Yes, I will use his laptop to look up information on it," Cameron stated.

"I want to see this information," Sarah stated.

Cameron knocked on John's door. "John, are you awake?" she asked.

"Yeah, come in," he called back.

John was already on his laptop. Got news?" he asked, not looking at her.

Cameron noted John was in his shorts and a T-shirt. "John, you mother is here too," she said and grabbed his pants to hold them out to him.

Sarah looked away as John quickly put his pants on as he muttered about lack of privacy. It was then she saw his headboard had a broken rail. A good four inches of it was missing. "John, how did you break your bed?" she asked.

"I was moving stuff. I didn't think it was that important," he told her. To Cameron, he said, "You know what you're looking for, go for it."

Concentrating on the broken piece of bed, Sarah looked behind and under the head. She saw plenty of slivers of wood. "It looks like you crushed it," she said simply.

"Yeah, surprised me," John said and scratched the back of his head. "I can fix it, I just haven't thought about it."

Sarah could just see Tin Miss crushing it in a moment of passion. She quickly blocked that thought out. It was strange, but not proof.

"Maybe the wood was rotten," John said with a shrug.

The pieces Sarah saw were not rotten. "Maybe," she said in a musing tone as she eyed him.

"John, come look at this," Cameron said.

John went over to bend down over her shoulder, careful not to touch her. She had a page up that had a company heading and a list if current jobs and contacts. Pointing to one, she said, "Dynatech industries is paying for the work at that site."

Before John could say anything, Sarah said," Get an location on that company. Hack them if you can."

Cameron looked at John. He nodded and said, "Call the construction company first. Get the sales department so you can mimic the voice of whoever answers, then use that voice to call Dynatech. See if you can find out who at Dynatech authorized the work. Then we know who to concentrate on."

"Yes, John." Cameron said.

Sarah eyed John. "That was a good suggestion," she admitted.

"We want who is behind it, not the middle man," John said.

They stayed quiet as Cameron called the company to ask about a possible retaining wall. Once she was done, she called Dynatech at the number on the customer list.

"Yes, I am calling for Frank Johnson. There is a problem with invoice 346872 from your company. … Yes, I will hold." After a couple minutes, Cameron said, "Yes, Mr. Johnson, the site you wished quarried had substantial rubble that needs to be removed, and the use of a crane will be required. I was calling to verify if the added expense of a crane … yes … yes, I will add it to the invoice and send you a copy…. thank you sir." Cameron hung up.

Cameron turned to John. "Frank Johnson is human, he also told me that this is a 'no expense spared' project, and to get it done and inform him when the contract is complete. I shall look up Frank Johnson's information."

"Thank you, Cam," John said. "Get everything you can on him."

"Yes, John."

Looking at nothing as he thought, John said, "We need to find out who his boss is."

"Interrogation works well, John." Cameron offered.

"Not yet. I'd rather they not know we're looking for them. I want to go as high up the tree as we can before we grab someone to get information," he told her.

"The owner, or CEO will know," Sarah stated.

"He will probably know," John said, correcting her. "He is also probably not the highest person we need to find. We're after Sky Net, not one of it's flunkies."

"It could be a terminator that came back to help Sky Net prepare," Sarah said.

"It could be, and if we take him out, then we do more damage than simply stop work at retrieving that coltan, or whatever they were doing," John countered.

Sarah eyed him and Cameron. She didn't want them alone together in the same room. "Come on downstairs, John. I'll fix you something to eat while Tin Miss looks for your information."

John headed out the door. Sarah followed.

.

The good thing about today was John missed breakfast and didn't have to eat pancakes. Sarah made him a PBJ with strawberry jelly. Much better. Sitting down with him, he put up with his mother watching him until she said, "John, do you have a plan to keep Tin Miss from killing you if she goes bad again?"

John swallowed his bite and said, "Two plans. First, don't let her get caught in an explosion again. Second, I do have a detonator that will set off the charge in her head if I cannot otherwise stop her." He took a drink and added, "The damage done to her by that explosion has been repaired, Mom, so unless her head is damaged again, she should be fine. There is nothing to worry about."

"Just keep in mind there is a danger. I don't want you getting too close to Tin Miss," Sarah said, eyeing him intently.

John let out a huff. He was tempted to ask if wrapped tight together and screwing their brains out in the desert was too close. "Mom," he said in a grumble, "I am very well aware Cameron is a machine, OK? I pull bullets out of her, I fixed the inside of her head and patched her metal skull. I get reminded on almost a daily basis that Cameron is a machine. Believe me, there is no way I can't know."

Sarah looked down and said, "I know you don't have a normal life for a teenage boy, John. I am very sorry about that. The stakes are too high …"

"I know, Mom," John said heavily, interrupting her. Glaring at her he said, "I'll never have a normal girlfriend, I'll never even have friends! After Reilly, any girl I DO talk to and likes me, I will always be wondering if she is after me for some reason. She could be working for another psycho or a Gray, or maybe she'll be another terminator who just wants to kill me. I. Get. It." Getting louder, he said, "You don't have to remind me that I will be pretty much living all my life alone, OK!" He got up and put his glass in the sink and stomped out, leaving his half eaten sandwich on the table.

Sarah held a hand to her mouth as tears leaked out. What John said was true. He was angry about it, and there was nothing she could do to change things. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cameron come in and sit where John had been. She bore her terminator stare as she eyed Sarah.

"Did you find out what you were suppose to?" Sarah asked and wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands.

"John is angry, you reminded him of the obvious." Cameron stated.

"That's none of your business," Sarah growled.

"John is my business," Cameron said firmly in her monotone. "His life, his health, his state of mind. Those are my top priorities. There was no reason to upset him by telling him things he already knows."

"He's my son!"

"He is my reason for being. I will protect John from anyone who tries to hurt him," Cameron stated. She then got up and left.

Sarah watched Tin Miss go. Did Tin Miss just threaten her?

.

Cameron found John in the shed, sitting on a stool and looking off at nothing. His pulse was up, the shaking in his breathing told Cameron he was very upset. When she shut the door, she blocked it. Going over to stand in front of him, Cameron enfolded him in her arms, drawing his head to her chest. John put his arms around her, snuggling close. She kissed him gently on the head.

"John?" she said softly. "You will never be alone. I will always be here for you." She didn't know if he heard her, so she stayed in place and petted his hair as he stated blankly at nothing. She didn't care if Sarah, Derek, or anyone saw her comforting her John. If they wanted to harass John about it, she would take care of the problem.

"I love you and you love me," John said quietly.

"Yes."

Not moving from his position, John asked, "What did you find?"

Cameron told him. Once she explained, John stood up and they shared a deep kiss and a good, long heartfelt hug. Cameron unblocked the door and followed him back into the house. Sarah was still in the kitchen. John sat down, Cameron sat beside him.

To the point, John said, "Mom, we need Derek and Jesse here. Maybe Reilly too. Cameron has found out plenty, and a possible location of who's making Sky Net. She will let everyone know when they get here. Until then, I am going up to see if there is anything else that will help pinpoint the location Sky Net is at."

Sarah nodded. "I'll call them. John, I am sorry your life is like this," she offered.

"Me too. We can't do anything about it, so let's do something about Sky Net," he told her. "I'll be in my room."

Sarah watching him get up and go, Cameron right behind him. She also noted she was still getting Cameron's terminator stare. Sarah has always been worried about Cameron hurting John. Now she had to wonder if Cameron was seeing her as a threat. The thought made her nervous.

.

Derek and Jesse arrived. Not long after, Riley showed up. With all of them seated around the table, John nodded to Cameron. "Tell them."

Cameron wore a neutral face as she said, "Dynatech is paying for that site we attacked to be quarried. A man named Frank Johnson arranged for the work. His boss is Ike Newton. Searching for information on Frank Johnson, I found he is the average lower executive, nothing abnormal about his life, his home or his finances. Using Frank Johnson's voice, I called Ike Newton to ask about the next meeting. By his reply and the attempted trace on the phone, which I immediately destroyed, I believe he is a terminator. He may be acting independently for Sky Net. It is imperative we find out what his orders are and what he knows."

"We need his chip, intact," John stated.

"Do we know where he calls home?" Jesse asked.

"I have his address. It is a two story house on a walled property with surveillance cameras exterior and interior, operated by the security company he uses, which means it is remotely monitored. I do know the location of the security company," Cameron explained.

"Before we go after him, we have to take that security company off line," Derek said.

"There is also the fact that lately, when we pull a chip, it self destructs," John said.

"We need a distraction to keep the security company busy," Jesse said. "We can't just do a simple power outage."

Sarah asked, "What other places does this company monitor?"

"Thirty six homes, several businesses, including office buildings, a manufacturing facility and two banks," Cameron said.

"The threat of a bank robbery would draw attention," John said.

"Who gets caught when the police show up?" Derek asked.

"I'm not talking walk up and break in," John said defensively. "Someone shoots a window out, then gets out of there. We kill the security company power right after that. If the security system gets power cut, directly after the alarm at the bank, the police will think it was for the bank job, and that is where their attention will be."

Jesse pointed to Riley and said, "I'll give Riley the silenced .22 I have. Shooting a window will be enough to trip the alarm. She won't have to even be seen. She can shoot from across the street, and it will be quiet enough not to draw attention."

"We have to hit Newton's house at the same time, and make sure he is home first." Sarah said.

"CB radios and code words," Derek said. "They are inexpensive now, and less chance of identifying us even if someone is listening."

"Any chance of using that tank of yours?" Sarah asked Cameron.

"Negative. Newton lives in a good neighborhood. It would be noticed."

Riley cast a surprised look at Cameron. "You have a tank?"

"It belongs to John." Cameron replied.

"OK, let's firm this up," John said. "We need Ike's chip. Intact. We need to figure out how to get it out or we fail. What do we have to cut his head off with so we can take it someplace to work on to successfully get his chip out?"

.

The planning wasn't as complex as John first thought. Cameron found the Security company had it's own diesel powered emergency generator. Jesse's job was to sneak in and pinch the fuel line shut. Cameron needed to be in the 'break in' team at Newton's house. Sarah was to go with her. Riley got the silenced .22 to shoot at a window in the corner of the bank on the opposite side of the city once the fuel line for the diesel was disabled. That would give the security company time to see the bank alarm. Right after Riley shot, Derek would shoot the transformer for the block the security company used. John's job was to cut power to Newton's home, then be the getaway driver for Sarah and Cameron once they got Newton's head and body, preferably separated.

They sat and puzzled out what could possibly go wrong with the plan. Once they were sure it was going to work, they went through the plan so everyone knew what to do when, and their code word for finishing their task.

.

Cameron got a tazer to put Ike down quick, and a battery powered hand held chop saw to remove his head from the rest of the body. Wanting to keep the noise to a minimum, John had Cameron search for the electrical service box on Newton's house. There was a 'bulldog' switch outside just above the meter. That would work. Derek put a silencer on his pistol so he would draw less attention to himself.

Three days after they had taken out that hill, they got into position at nightfall. Since Ike lived in an upper class neighborhood, John had to time his driving so he would not be parked for very long. With the house in sight, he slowed and got on the radio.

"Plan H, begin," he said, then listened.

"J, pinched."

"R, hit." came Riley's voice.

Derek was next. "D, hit."

John was close to the house. He stopped mid street. Cameron and Sarah got out and ran to the wall. John drove down the street.

Cameron threw her grapple. It caught, she quickly climbed up as Sarah got a hold on the end. Cameron lifted Sarah up to the top and over the wall. As soon as Sarah was down inside, Cameron jumped down. Cameron ran straight to the electrical box and threw the switch. The house went dark. They then ran for the front door. It wasn't locked. They strode in, Cameron pulled her tazer up and started searching.

A man appeared in the dark, one arm lifted, pointing a gun at them. In monotone, he said, "Stop, I am armed and calling the police. Put your hands on your heads and do not move."

Cameron zapped him with the tazer. The gun went off as he shuddered and fell. Grabbing the chop saw from the hook on her belt, Cameron ran over and began cutting his head off.

The coltan resisted the fast spinning friction blade, blood then bright yellow sparks flew to the side as the spinning blade won. In 52 seconds, she had cut through his skeletal structure and cabling. Another ten seconds and she had severed his head.

Moving to toss the head to Sarah, Cameron saw Sarah was on the floor, bleeding. She ran over to see the bullet hole on Sarah's lower right chest. Sarah was unconscious. She grabbed Sarah's radio.

"Need emergency pickup," Cameron announced. She had to carry Sarah out. Sarah had brought a small can of thermite. She grabbed it and dumped it over Ike's body, lit it, then threw Sarah over her shoulder and ran out, carrying Ike's head by the hair.

.

John heard the 'emergency' call for pickup. It was Cameron's voice. He sped up and instead of watching for them, crashed through the gate. Seeing Cameron carrying his mother and the head, he stopped and put the truck in reverse. Cameron tossed his mother in the back and piled in after her. John reversed back out of the broken gate while she was shutting the door. Out onto the street, he drove away. Once he was heading down the street, he glance back and asked, "What happened?"

"We got the terminator's head. Sarah was shot. I'm calling Charile Dixon," Cameron replied.

"Is she going to make it?" John asked.

"Unknown. I will arrange the closest meeting place possible," Cameron told him and got on the phone.

John wanted to stop, but he didn't know how bad his mother was hurt and Cameron wasn't very helpful in telling him. That alone told him it was bad. Gritting his teeth and doing his best not to panic, he drove to the place Cameron instructed as she called the other to tell them where to meet.

.

The one working headlight left on Derek's truck shown on Charlie's EMT truck as they pulled in behind the closed down store. John stopped close to it. The second he threw it in park, he got out to help. Charlie and Cameron got Sarah out and onto a gurney.

Charlie Knew the wound immediately. "Sucking chest wound. Cameorn, keep your hand over it. John, I need the respirator bag."

John ran into the EMT truck, he knew what Charlie needed.

Glancing at Cameron, Charlie asked, "How long?"

"Nine minutes, fifty three seconds," she replied.

He quickly checked her heartbeat and blood pressure. "At least it missed her large arteries, she's got a chance," Charlie said.

"Here!" John cried and handed Charlie the respirator.

Charlie explained, "Her lungs need to be inflated. John, hold the cup over her mouth. Cameron, when I squeeze, let up on the wound. When bubbles stop coming out, Put your hand back over the wound." He waited until they nodded the squeezed the air bag. Cameorn let up on the wound. A frown of pinkish blood spewed out. When the gross fountain died down, he barked, "Cover!" Cameron slapped her hand back in place.

"She really needs to be in an emergency room," Charlie complained as he got out his medic bag.

"How bad is it?" John asked.

Charlie eyed him and said, "She still has internal bleeding. She needs surgery. I can patch her up, but even then, she just might die from this."

John's mind wrestled with the implications of getting her to the hospital. If she didn't go, his mother might die. If she did, then she would be caught and thrown in prison and they would need to move immediately. "FUCK!" he shouted.

Jesse drove in and screeched to a stop. Her, Derek and Riley piled out.

"FUCK!" John yelled again, torn between two impossible choices.

Charlie grabbed John's shoulder and said, "John, she goes to the hospital, or she dies."

John thought hard. They did have fake ID's. That might buy them a little time. He turned to Derek. "Take Jesse, go with Mom to the hospital. Call me when you know how Mom's doing."

Derek eyed him. "John that will…"

Upset and frustrated, John yelled, "I gave you an order soldier, GET TO IT!"

There was no further argument. Jesse tossed Cameron her keys and got in the back with Derek and Sarah. Charlie stared his truck up, turned the lights and siren on and rushed away.

After they let, John burst out in tears. Cameron put an arm around him and guided him to Jesse's car. "You did what you had to do John," she assured him.

Cameron got John in the car and drove him home. Derek's truck was too damaged to take out on the street again.

.

At the hospital, Derek told them the woman was Sarah Baum. She'd called and said she was shot, he called an EMT he knew and they rushed out to get her. Her purse was gone as was her car when they found her. For the moment, the hospital and Officers there were satisfied, and Sarah was rushed into surgery.

.

On the way home, John shifted from worry about his mother, to what they had to do now. "This is so fucked," he said and slammed a fist onto the dash. "We got the head and now what? We have to run! We've been in that house a while, it's going to take more than the tiny-assed trunk this car has to put even … part of our stuff in! Mom's most likely going to jail," he ranted, "We are so screwed!" he ranted.

"John, calm down, we will figure it out," Cameron said evenly. "First we find out when we need to move. If Sarah's ID isn't questioned, we will have time to move out. If we don't then we take things out until someone comes. Highest priority items first."

"Where will you go?" Riley asked from the back seat.

Glancing back at the scared looking blond, Cameron said, "You don't need to know."

"After Mom has her surgery, what's our chances of getting her out of the hospital before the police catch on?" John asked.

Cameron was silent for a moment, then said, "Varied. 1.9 to 45 percent."

John let out a snort. "Not good. At least she'll still be alive. This is my own doing."

"John, you had no way of knowing Sarah would be shot," Cameron said firmly. "You are doing what you always do. You took the situation you are faced with and did your best. You are in no way at fault."

Coming into Riley's neighborhood, Cameron pulled over a block from Riley's house. "Riley, not a word," Cameron said sternly.

Riley nodded and got out.

John looked at the head on the seat between him and Cameron. "Was it worth it?" he asked himself.

"Yes. You achieved the goal and you made sure your mother has a chance to live," Cameron told him. Reaching over, she massaged his shoulder and said. "I believe in you, John. Believe in yourself."


	4. Chapter 4

CH 4

When they got home, Cameron began packing. She grabbed hers and John's clothes first. While Cameron was doing that, John took the terminator head into the kitchen and put it in the sink. OK, he thought, lately when the chip was pulled, it flared up and burned. Thermite? No, he hadn't remembered seeing a spark or heat source to ignite it. Being exposed to air might do it. Then again, the chip housing would have to be air tight. If that was the case, then the chip would be hard to pull and a pop would sound as the air went in. He didn't remember hearing that, either.

What else could it be?

Nitrogen filled maybe? If it was, then there would be no pop. That meant that oxygen in the air set it off. That made sense. Since he didn't have a way to enshroud the head with nitrogen, possibly if he held it under water, that would work. He was about to turn on the tap, and second guessed himself. If he was wrong, then tonight was for nothing, and his mother getting shot and possibly being arrested and taken to jail was for nothing.

"Damn," he grumbled. He did not want to screw this up.

Cameron came in and said, "John, I have our cloths, electronics, money and guns ready to go. That is all that will fit in the car." Seeing what he was doing, she added, "We should experiment with that at our new location."

"The emergency safe house Mom set up," he agreed. He remembered it, It was a small mobile home in a park on the south end of town.

"No, we will check there, but we go to the warehouse. We will need the room," Cameron explained.

"You want to live at the warehouse?" John asked.

"It will be the last place anyone will look for us," Cameron explained. "There is a bathroom in the corner, I can make a shower and we will have more room to work."

"OK," John said. He held the head up and asked, "Got a box for this?"

.

In the surgery waiting room, Jesse was slouched down, almost asleep. She and Derek agreed that it was safer for her to wait for news, since she was 'unknown' by law enforcement. A nurse in surgery room scrubs came in and asked, "Baum?"

Jesse perked up. "Here," she said and sat up.

The nurse came over and sat beside her. "Mrs. Baum is out of danger. The bullet fragments have been removed, and she is stable. She is being moved to recovery. If all goes well, she will be in a room on the fourth floor in another few hours. I don't know which one yet., but the fourth floor Nursing station will."

"Thank you. Sarah will recover completely?" Jesse asked.

"It is looking good, but the doctor has some concerns he would like to bring up with a relative. May I ask your relation to Mrs. Baum?"

"Just friends," Jesse said. "I can call Derek, h e's her brother-in-law."

"What is Derek's last name?"

Jesse frowned. For some reason, she smelled something fishy with that question. "I'm not sure. He told me once, but it's not Baum, I know that," Jesse offered.

"Well, please contact someone. We need paperwork and someone who is a relative must do it. I am sure they also want to know how Sarah is," the nurse said. She got up and walked out.

Jesse only saw three other people in the room. An old couple and a teen playing on his phone. She got up and went into an empty section of hall to call Derek.

"Hello."

Jesse put in the code. Derek answered the code.

"Sarah is out of surgery, she is being moved to recovery. She'll be on the fourth floor, I don't know what room. They need a relative to come do paperwork," Jesse explained.

"We clear?"

"Unknown. I'm going up to see who's on the fourth floor. I will call back in five."

Jesse hung her phone up and went to find an elevator to the fourth floor.

Going up, she shared a ride with a young intern. When the doors opened, she saw the nurse station. Two policemen were talking to one of the nurses. She hit the button for the ground floor and rode the elevator back down.

.

John and Cameron were on their way back to the safe house when Derek called. In their first load, they had gotten all their things, including John's laptop and electronics to the warehouse.

"Hello?"

He exchanged codes with Derek, then listened.

"Sarah made it through surgery and is in recovery. Jesse found police on the floor Sarah is going to after recovery. We may be compromised. Keep a very close watch out."

"What room will Mom be in?"

"They didn't tell Jesse. They are insisting a relative come to do the paperwork."

John clenched the phone. "Then was have to assume Mom's cover is blown," he said tightly.

"That will be the safe assumption, yes. If you're in the house, get out now. If you're not there, don't go back."

"SHIT!" John spat.

"I checked on my abused truck, it's been impounded. Find another car."

Derek then hung up.

"SHIT!" John spat again.

Cameron glanced at him and said, "That is not good news, John. I'm going to park two blocks away from the house and investigate. If you see police, don't wait for me. I'll meet you at the warehouse."

John cast her a shocked look. "You want me to leave you?"

"Your safety comes first," Cameron stated. "John, promise me you'll leave if you have to."

John didn't say anything, so Cameron said, "John, I need you to promise me, or we go back to the warehouse right now."

John clenched his jaw and said, "I promise, if I see any danger, I'll drive away."

"Thank you. I need to make sure you stay safe."

"I know, Cam," he said with a sigh. "I want you to be very careful too."

Cameron reached over and clasped his hand. "I will be as cautious as I can be. If possible, I need to check Sarah's room for any vital information and anything that tells the whereabouts of our warehouse. I go in, look, then I come back and we go," she assured him.

"I can't loose you," John said softly.

"I can't loose you either." Cameron, replied in the same tone.

On a side street, Cameron slowed to look down the street their house was on. Nothing was in the driveway or parked on the sides near the house. She drove on a couple blocks to a convenience store. She parked towards the back, facing out so the license plate wouldn't be seen.

Before Cameron got out, she leaned over, cupped John's chin and kissed him. "I love you and you love me," she said.

"I love you and you love me," he replied. "Be very careful."

"I will."

.

Agent Aldridge stood in the recovery room in surgical scrubs and a mask, looking down on a sleeping Sarah Connor. "That's her. I don't know how, but that is our fugitive."

"The one who died in that bank robbery?" the deputy asked.

"The very one. Sarah Connor, escapee from Prescardo mental institution. Also wanted for murder and terrorism. How she is alive, I have no idea. Where'd you find her?"

"She was picked up by EMT's in the back of a store parking lot. She'd been shot. A battered pickup was also found there. According to one of her friends who knew her as Sarah Baum, she called saying she'd been shot. They called the EMT's and went to help and said her purse and car had been stolen. At first, we thought it was a car jacking. The guy with the pickup that was seen at a disturbance eight blocks away shot her and took off in her car. The registered owner of the truck is a Derek Reese, but going to his address, the uniforms only found an empty lot. Sarah's friend the nurse talked to, Jesse, knew Derek. This is a little more complex than it looks on the surface."

Aldridge looked at Sarah's ID again. "This address is probably fake too, but we have to check it out. Keep two uniforms on her room at all times. She is officially under arrest."

The men left the room.

Aldridge knew of the Connor case. He also knew that Sarah Connor was slippery and dangerous. If her son was at this address and they just stormed in, there would be bodies. He wanted to avoid that if possible. The first step was to find out if this place was real, and if John was there.

Patty Emerson walked up to the house in a dress suit, carrying a armful of flowers. Wearing a smile, she noted there was no movement inside, no car in the driveway. Going up to the front door, she knocked. She said, "No car, it looks like no one is home. The door is locked." She knocked again.

Watching from a block away, Aldridge heard everything through the broach Patty was wearing. "Don't push it," he said quietly to himself.

"I don't see anyone. The back door is shut, I can just make out the first few steps of a stairway to the left. There is a shed, I'm going to check that out," Patty said. She walked around to the back. "No one in back," she said,. Going to the shed, she opened the door and asked, "Hello?" She stuck her head in. "No one here, either. There is something on the table. It looks like a metal tool case." Going in she put the flowers down and reached out to open the case.

A hand clapped tight to her mouth and a gun was put to her head. She heard her voice say, "It's nothing but a battery powered drill."

The gun came down. She was expecting a demand, but a hand clapped onto the back of her head. Her head was spun to look behind her. A crack sounded loud in her ears as her neck broke. Her last sight was that of a teenage girl who had died in an explosion in a bank robbery attempt.

Then she died.

Cameron quietly laid Patty down on the floor, picked up the case with C-4 and some spare pats for her and slipped out, shutting the door silently behind her. In the back, she grabbed the box with Sarah's things in it and left moving through back lots to return to John.

.

James Ellison got home after work to find a car in his driveway. He pulled up next to it. Agent Aldridge got out the same time he did.

"James."

"Ed?' Ellison asked. "What brings you here?"

"May we talk inside?"

Ellison motioned to the door. "Absolutely. Is there something I can help you with?"

"There is, but not out here," Ed said heavily.

James unlocked his door and motioned him in. "Something official?"

"Something very odd."

By the look on his face, Aldridge had discovered something bad. "I'd offer you coffee, but it looks like you need a beer," James told him.

"That's an understatement," he said and sat on the couch.

James got two beers and passed Ed a can and sat down by him.

"Thanks," Ed said and took a long pull. "James, you remember Sarah Connor, the terrorist?"

"I do. I chased her for years, then she blew herself up in a bank job. What about her?"

Ed shook his head. "I left her earlier today. She's in the hospital recovering from surgery. She was shot last night. EMT's brought her in."

James kept his face neutral. "That's not possible," he said.

"We verified her identity through fingerprints. So, we go to her address to look for her boy. If one ghost got shot, maybe her ghost son is around," Ed explained. He took a pull of beer and asked, "Remember Patty Emerson?"

James thought for a moment, then said, "Yeah, the rookie who was heavy into martial arts. Tough girl. Took on and beat damn near everyone on the force. How is she?"

"Dead," Ed stated. "She went to Sarah's address, wired. She found no one home, doors locked, no one around. The last transmission we got from her, she'd gone into the shed there, still finding no one. Then, nothing. After ten minutes of nothing, we went in and found her in the middle of the floor. Her neck was broken. No sign of a struggle, not even scuff marks on the floor. It was like she let someone twist her head three quarter of the way around."

James let out a tired sigh and rubbed his forehead. "I'm really sorry," he offered.

"Me too. James, what the fuck are we dealing with here? Whoever killed Patty did it without making a sound. We would have heard it. No one should have been able to do that!"

"I … don't know," James said furrowing his eyebrows.

"I remembered that raid to get that actor you went on. Your entire team was killed. Please, tell me, who killed Patty?"

Taking a deep breath, James got up and said, "Not who, what. You're going to need another beer for this."

"You know," Ed stated.

James nodded. "No recordings, nothing official. If you even believe me, I will be surprised."

.

James was right. It was hard to believe. The raid, the trip to Mexico where he helped fight a terminator, it seemed unreal. Ed really was glad he was sitting down, and James was right again. He needed that beer.

"My best guess?" James said. "One of those terminators was waiting for Sarah to get home. Patty walked in, he killed her. Even if she'd shot him full of holes, it wouldn't have stopped him. I've seen them take a constant stream of fire. All it does it rip up that fake skin of theirs."

"And you saw this," Ed stated to be sure he had it right.

"More than once."

Ed nodded slowly. He then asked, "So Sarah's son is in danger of these things finding him?"

"Not so much. He has one protecting him," James explained. "John Connor's best defense against these things is to stay hidden. I don't know how Sarah got shot, but I can imagine it was one of these things."

"How do we stop them?"

James shrugged and said, "Sarah talked about burning them with thermite. Bullets sure as hell don't do it."

"Thermite?"

"A metal powder, like magnesium. It burns very hot. Like I said though, I've never seen it used," James explained.

"There was a house fire eight block away from where Sarah was found. It started in the living room, Burned right down through the floor. The fire department is investigating. The man who owns that house is missing. No bodies were found in the house," Ed said thoughtfully.

"Could be connected." James offered.

"That's what I'm thinking. That wrecked truck, it belonged to a Derek Reese."

"Derek Reese is a fellow conspirator of Sarah Connor," James said. "I saw him too. Him and John's terminator killed one in Mexico."

Ed let out a snort and asked, "So where do these things come from?"

"The future, or so the Connors say," James said. In a serious tone, he added, "Ed, these things are lethal. You can't shoot them, you can't arrest them, and if they want you dead, you're dead unless you got one to fight back for you."

Sitting up to put his elbows on his knees, Ed asked, "If I find John Connor, what's the possibility I can persuade him to use his terminator to find others for us?"

James shook his head. "She'd never allow it."

"Sarah?"

"No, the terminator."

.

It was light Sarah came around. She felt horrible. Upon opening her eyes, then flew open. She was in a hospital room. She felt a bandage on her ribs. There was a tube up her nose and one in her arm. The deep breath she tried to take hurt. Her heart was in her throat.

She'd been caught.

The instant her heart picked up speed, a machine behind her beeped. A policewoman stuck her head in the door, and called out, "Nurse?"

Lying in bed and police at the door, Sarah knew this was it. Looking down, she didn't see any cuffs on her hands. She was sure that was coming soon.

A nurse came in and went to the machine. "Sarah, good, you're awake. How do you feel?" the nurse asked lightly.

Sarah's voice came out in a croak. "What happened?"

Gently, the nurse said, "You were shot. The police have reason to believe someone is coning after you, so they have posted two officers right outside your door. No one is going to come harm you again, OK?"

Sarah nodded. The last she remembered, she was in that terminators' house. Had Tin Miss left her there? That didn't make sense. That was, unless Tin Miss was seeing her as a threat? Maybe she wanted Sarah out of the way so she could jump John's bones. No, Cameron wasn't shallow.

The nurse did something with the machine then asked, "Can I get you something, a drink?"

Sarah nodded, trying to piece together how she got here in 'protective' custody. If she was recognized, she knew it wouldn't be 'protective' for much longer. She had to find a way out of here.

The nurse returned with a plastic cup of water and a straw. She held it so Sarah could drink. The first mouthful went down hard. The second was easier and did sooth her parched throat.

"Your medicine is being given to you through your IV," the nurse explained. "Use the call button if you have to go, we don't want you trying to get up for another day. The bullet went through your lung and did considerable damage."

Another day? "When was I shot?" she asked.

"Three days ago. There is an FBI agent that wants to come in and talk to you about what happened. Do you feel up to talking to him?"

Sarah first thought to delay that as much as possible. John and Cameron had to be clearing out the safe house. She wanted to give them as much time as possible before the FBI raided the place. Then again, if she was here, they already knew where she lived. She decided misleading them would give John more time. She nodded.

The nurse shuttled around, checking her IV bag and the chart on the foot of her bed, then left.

Sarah was getting her story straight in her head when a man knocked on the frame of her door. "Sarah Baum?" he asked.

"Yes?"

The man came in and sat down by her. He pulled out a badge and said, "I am Agent Aldridge. Do you remember what happened, or who shot you?"

"No," she said honestly.

"I can understand that," he said with a brief smile. "Apparently, you called your friend Jesse to say where you were, then passed out. She arrived with another friend and EMT's. They brought you here. Your car and purse were missing. While it appears on the surface as a carjacking, I don't think that was the case. I have evidence it may have been an attempt to assassinate you. Can you give me any names of who it might be?"

Sarah shook her head. Behind a store? Apparently Tin Miss got her out of that house and called for help while she got John away. The proper thing to do. "I can't think of anyone," she offered.

Aldridge nodded. "You're under protective custody because when we sent an agent to your house to find John, someone killed her. We suspect the killer was waiting for him. There was no sign of him, and since we haven't found his body, we're assuming he saw the killer first and fled. What I need to know, Sarah, is where John may have gone."

Sarah put the scenario together in her mind. John and Cameron were there, Tin Miss killed the agent and they fled. "I don't know."

"A friend's house, a girlfriend's house?" he prodded.

"John broke up with his girlfriend. I don't know where she lives," Sarah offered.

Aldridge leaned closer and in a low voice, he said, "I talked to James Ellison, Sarah. Your son is in great danger. You know as well as I that this killer isn't human, don't we?"

Sarah stared at him. "What are you taking about?" she lied.

In a low, even tone, he said, "Officially, Sarah and John Connor are dead. I am asking you to help me find John before that thing does. Unless he's got a canon, he doesn't have a hope if it finds him before we do. I think you know that."

Sarah didn't react. She saw this agent was playing up to her 'delusions' to try and find John.

"Who's with him?" he asked.

"How would I know?" Sarah asked. "I'm surprised he's not here in the hospital to check on me."

"Please don't insult my intelligence. John is on the run. We both know it," Aldridge stated.

Sarah shook her head. "You're not going to find him," she said firmly.

Aldridge eyed her for a moment then said. "Rest for a while and think about it. Right now, I have told no one that Sarah Connor didn't die in that bank explosion. Instead of treating this case with blinders on, I'd rather find out the whole truth. If you can't help me, then I'll have to turn in everything I know, then go look for John while you're safely tucked away in a prison where the killer can't get to you. Think about it. I'll see you in a day or two."

.

John had heard a saying once. When you're up to your ass in alligators, it's hard to remember your mission was to drain the swamp.

He felt like that now. His mother was in the hospital, most likely on her way to jail, he and Cameron were living in an old warehouse, Derek reported there were constant police patrols around the city most likely looking for them, and he had a terminator head he needed to get information out of, but there was no power here to run his laptop. He needed more than a couple hours of battery.

The only good thing in his life at the moment was getting to snuggle up with Cameron in their bedroll at night. They held each other tight, but sensing his mood, Cameron didn't press him for sex. At the moment, Cameron was his lifeline, and he held tight to her.

Cameron had found a new way to steal a car. Going to a used car lot, she broke into the office, 'sold' herself a car using the proper signatures on the paperwork, including forging the salesman's signature. She then registered her car and got a plate for it. Mr. Ethan Long would have a very unhappy boss when no money was found in the till from that 'cash' transaction.

The blue Ford minivan Cameron bought was not Derek's kind of vehicle. What it was, was inconspicuous. Just a plain minivan like so many others with no flash or chrome to draw attention to itself or the driver.

Knowing John was going stir crazy, They went for a ride to find the emergency safe house. Driving though a not-so good part of town, Cameron found the dirt drive entrance to the trailer park. Rolling in, she found the right one. The trailer was older, the small porch and steps were dirty. One thing it was, was inconspicuous.

John winced and grumbled, "We've been reduced to trailer trash."

Cameron went in and looked around before allowing him to enter. She then pulled out her phone and called the hospital. She got Sarah's room number then called the floor.

"Yes, room 435, please." she said in Jesse's voice.

.

Sarah was surprised to hear the phone by her bed ring. She reached over and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey lass, it's John's girlfriend. How's the wound?"

It sounded like Jesse. Sarah figured it was Cameron. "I'm healing and have cops right outside my door. How are you and John?"

"We're safe. Only one bed, but that's fine."

Sarah frowned she knew there was more than one bed in that trailer. "Are you up to funny business?" she asked.

"No, just relaxing. John was a bit keyed up. We had sex until he passed out, he's much better now. Gotta tell ya, he's got one mean canon here."

"What?" Sarah asked becoming more alert.

In a sexy voice, she said, "Oh yeah, I love sleeping next to John's canon. He knows how to use it too!"

Sarah flushed, "You … you're sleeping with John?" she asked in a gasp.

"Give you a clue love, when I go out to the Quickmart down the next block, I have to have a tampon so I don't drip when I walk."

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Is John there?" Sarah demanded.

"Sorry love, he's passed out. I gave him solid head. He's getting very familiar with grabbing skull."

Sarah lost her voice, her mind spun with the things Tin Miss was telling her.

"Well, gotta take a walkabout, I'll come see you soon." *click*

Sarah stared at the phone. No, Cameron wasn't banging John's brains out, was she? There had to be another explanation.

.

John was gaping at Cameron as she put her phone away. "What was that? Why'd you tell Mom those things?" he cried.

Cameron cast him a brief smile and said, "The line was tapped. I am hoping she understood that we're at the warehouse and we have the terminator skull. That is, once she calms down."

John thought for a second. Right, sleeping next to his 'canon', the bulldozer/tank. The Quickmart visible from the warehouse. Cameron gave him 'head', he's grabbing 'skull'. He grinned and said, "If Mom doesn't have a heart attack, she'll figure it out." He went back out to help Cameron unload the car.

.

Agent Aldridge also puzzled about the content of that phone call as he listened to it. He had dismissed the sexual comments as fill for some kind of code. Since a single bed was mentioned, they had to be in a hotel someplace. Mentioning a Quickmart most likely meant there was one close by. He wasn't sure what the references to 'canon' meant. Maybe John had a large caliber gun to protect himself from terminators? If that was the case, then John had a heavy weapon with him, which made perfect sense. Walkabout, Aussie wise that meant a long walk. The caller also planned on visiting Sarah. Was that an indication this hotel was a good distance from the hospital? The caller had not mentioned anything he could use as a distance.

One thing that was certain was the heavy Australian accent of the woman. He notified the men at the hospital to be on the lookout for a woman with an Australian accent coming to see 'Mrs. Baum'. He also had hotels and motels checked out to see which ones had Quickmart convenience stores nearby.

Today Sarah was due to go for tests. Aldridge knew when they were, and arrived to help keep security around her when she was moved. He sent an officer down to the labs to check them clear while he took post by the other officer.

When the nurses came, he noticed one he hadn't seen before. With the matronly nurse was a slim, young woman with brunette almost auburn hair come in to help her. She was a pretty thing too. The two nurses got Sarah set, then one in front and one behind, they wheeled her out of her room and down the hallway.

The lab was on the second floor. Due to the bed on the elevator, only the bed and the two nurses fit in. After they were in and on their way, Aldridge took the stairs down to the second floor where the other officer was waiting. He got down to find the Officer was still waiting.

"Where are they?" Aldridge asked.

The officer looked at him, then up at the floor indicator. Wearing a shocked look, he yelled, "The basement!"

Both Officers took off down the stairs. Going down two steps at a time, Aldridge burst out of the stairwell into the basement. Running over to the elevator, he saw the floor light and spat, "Shit, they're up on One!" They raced back up to find a crowd around the elevator. Inside the matronly nurse lay draped over the hospital bed. Sarah and the other nurse were gone.

Aldridge got on his radio and called for backup to seal off the hospital. Someone had kidnapped his shooting victim. Hearing the nurse groan, he and another man helped her sit up on the bed.

"Ma'am, what happened? Where is Mrs. Baum?" he asked

The nurse cast him a confused look. She coughed a couple times, then in a hoarse voice she said, "On the way down, she choked me! One handed, she picked me right off my feet! I saw her making Mrs. Baum sit up with the other hand, then I blacked out."

"She picked you up with one hand?" he asked. This woman had to go at least 200 pounds. That slim nurse weighed about half that.

"Yes! She just gave me this blank stare, then grabbed me and lifted! It felt like a steel clamp around my throat!"

Aldridge at first had trouble believing it. Then he remembered the terminators. Right, John's terminator had come to rescue Sarah out of the hospital. That had to be the 'see you soon' part of the code. He now knew what she looked like and her voice.

At least she didn't kill anyone.

.

Cameron carried Sarah out the rear service entrance in the basement John opened the van side door, they got Sarah laid on the second seat. John jumped in the front and drove away. Cameron knelt by Sarah to hold her IV bag up and made sure she stayed in place.

"Mom, You OK?" John asked as he pulled into traffic.

"Yes," Sarah said. Glaring at Tin Miss, she asked, "Couldn't you just say you were at the warehouse and had the head instead of spouting that perverted bullshit?"

"Your phone line was tapped, Sarah," she explained.

"Did you like feeding me all those perverted lies?" Sarah asked. Seeing a slight smirk cross Cameron's face, she asked, "Those were lies, weren't they?"

"I did lie," Cameron admitted. "I've never had to use a tampon to go to the Quickmart. John also wasn't passed out."

To change the subject quickly, John said, "We have a room set up in the trailer for you, Mom. Derek is going to meet us there. We got everything we need from the old safe house. I've got the chip out of the head. Soaking the head underwater did let me get the chip out intact. Once I'm sure it's dry, I'll put some power to it and see what's on there."

Sarah heard him, but was glaring at Cameron. "John, I want to hear about what you've been doing with Tin Miss!"

"Getting that chip out," John told her. "Mom, Cam had to use a code, otherwise she just might have well given the FBI the address of where we are."

"Have you ever had sex with Tin Miss?" Sarah asked in a hard tone.

John gripped the steering wheel. Trying to come up with an answer, he decided on, "None of your business, Mom."

"Don't you tell ME it's none of my business, young man!" Sarah yelled. She then winced from the effort.

Flatly, Cameron said, "Sarah, don't strain yourself. you have internal stitches. It will be very bad if they rip loose."

.

They got to the trailer to find Jesse's car there. Derek held the door, Cameron carried Sarah straight in and into the front bedroom that was clean and had a freshly made bed, and her own bathroom. John pulled back the covers, then covered his mother up when Cameron laid her down. Cameron then picked up a nail and judging the proper height, shoved it into the wall and hung up Sarah's IV bag.

Seeing this, John asked, "Cam? what are we going to do when that bag empties?"

Cameron explained, "It is just a saline solution, to keep Sarah from dehydrating. Her antibiotics have all been dispensed. I checked her chart. We can give her over the counter pain medication and as long as she starts eating soon, then there should be no problem with expelling waste in a normal manner."

"You're a doctor now?" Derek asked with a snort.

Cameron eyed him and replied, "No, but I am capable of reading and listening."

"All right, you two, OUT!" Sarah snapped at them. To John she said, "We need to talk. Sit."

John knew he was in for it. Cameron did too by the way she eyed him. He only nodded and said, "I'll be out soon." He sat on the edge of the bed.

Cameron closed the door on her way out.

"John, I want an explanation," Sarah said firmly.

John rubbed his face. "Do we really have to do this?" he asked in a groan.

"Yes, we really have to do this. What is up with you and Tin Miss?"

John looked at her and said, "First, I know very well Cameron is a machine. She has programming and missions she's suppose to perform, so before you say anything about that, I know all about it. I also know Cameron is changing. She learns, she wants to learn and experience things. She can feel, and she does think." Grinning, he asked, "Do you know why Cam thought Riley was such a threat? Yes, Riley was a threat to our security, a small one. She was also a very large threat to Cameron, not me. Mom, Cam was jealous of her."

Sarah let out a snort.

"Just listen, will you?" John begged. "This goes back to the day the jeep blew up. Farther than that actually, but I need to tell you about it. I was talking about it with Cam. She doesn't remember anything from the time she turned the key until she was sandwiched in between those trucks. You know what that means, Mom? Cam had corrected the error caused by the explosion. She HAD fixed herself just like she said. You know what else I remember that she said?"

"John," Sarah said slowly, "She was trying to trick you."

"She was trying to stay alive," John agreed. "She also didn't lie when she said, I love you and you love me."

"John, Cameron is a machine, she can't love!" Sarah snapped.

"She can. Not like you or me, no. She's not human. She can't love like ... say a dog loves, because she's not a dog. Cameron is a terminator, a machine. She loves like a machine. Cameron won't get all girly over a dress or say, going out to eat. What she will do is take extra care to ensure I am safe and happy. THAT is how she loves, Mom. When she was damaged, she lost all her mission programming. It's gone. Cameron is staying with me because that is her choice. She wants to be with me and ensure I am protected. She rescued you out of the hospital to make me happy. She built that friggin tank to make me happy and ensure I stayed protected. She also appreciates things I do for her. She also needs to be needed and appreciated. Cam is a living being, Mom."

"And she likes sex?" Sarah asked.

"She does," John said. "Does she like it the same way I do? Probably not. You know what? I don't really care. Cameron has told me what she likes the most is the cuddling and petting. Being in contact with each other. She enjoys the sensations. Most likely for her, sex is another sensation she can enjoy with me. You'll have to ask her. The thing is, Mom, I need Cameron. I know I'll never have another ... friend as good as her, so please, can you accept we are together?"

Sarah laid back and stared at the ceiling. "John," she said in a long sigh.

"When I was seeing Riley," John offered. "I was using her to escape. I never truly had any ... feelings for Riley other than using her to pretend I was somewhat normal. When I found out she was only trying to manipulate me, I was angry, but not really hurt over it. When Cameron was between those two trucks and I had to take her chip out, I felt like I was ripping my own heart out. Cam said it first, but it is true, Mom. I love her and she loves me."

John looked over to see his mother was staring up at nothing. "It was hard for me to deal with at first too," he admitted.

"You never broke a track that night," Sarah said blankly.

"Ahh, no," John admitted.

"Your bed rail?"

"Cameron crushed it in her hand. Her overload safety tripped too. I found out Cameron is really heavy when she lands on you."

"You two have been having sex for a while on a regular basis."

"No, more like very irregular," John said, correcting her.

"That balance thing?"

John grinned and said, "Cameron did have a balance problem ... and yeah, we kinda took a little advantage of it," he admitted.

"This is so screwed up," Sarah whispered to the ceiling. "It's suppose to be us against metal, and my son is humping the enemy."

"Cam is not the enemy. Sky Net is," John told her.

Sarah let out a long sigh and said, "I'm tired John. We'll talk more later."

"Yeah, OK." he said and got up. "Mom? Do you want anything special for dinner?"

"Just food, and a beer."

"Sorry, Mom, no beer."

"Then a coke, Dr Pepper, something like that."

"No problem," John said and left.

Cameron was waiting for him just outside the door. As soon as John shut his mother's door, Cameron hugged his close. John snuggled into her.

"I love you and you love me," John said quietly.

"We do, John. Derek went to get more beer. I don't think Sarah should have any."

"Neither do I," he agreed. "I'm going to get back to work on that chip."

Cameron pulled back enough to kiss him and cast him a smile. "I will start dinner with lighter food for Sarah. John, she will come to accept us."

John kissed her again and with a huff, he said, "I certainly hope so."

.

They disappeared.

Someone remembered a blue minivan. No one got the plate number. The house where Sarah Baum resided was empty. The address of Derek Reese was an empty lot. Jesse Flores didn't exist at all, anywhere. For a week, John and Cameron Baum missed school until they were turned in for truancy. They were all gone, slipped back into obscurity.

Ed Aldridge felt Sarah and her son slip right through his fingers. He HAD her, and her son John was close. Then, the Earth opened up and swallowed them. It amazed him that in this day and age, people could just disappear. Then again, if Sarah hadn't been shot, she would still be an eight year old corpse.

Ed paid James Ellison one more visit to ask if James happened to see them, he'd give a call. Of course James agreed, but Ed didn't truly think either of them would see the Connors ever again.

 **NOTE : I thought about titling this chapter, Sarah's worse day ever .**


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

To prevent herself from terminating Derek due to his whining over loosing his truck, Cameron did another 'midnight self-sale' at a used car dealership on the other end of town. The only difference this time was she had to slip in and stop the security camera video recording, rewind and reset the time and restart them after Derek drove away in his new truck. Well, new to him. It was a couple years old but it was a black Dodge Ram like his last one. Luckily, the truck wasn't shown on the video cameras. If it was, that would have made it much harder.

Cameron worked with John on the chip. They got in and were searching for information. There was plenty, but so far, nothing pointing right to Sky Net. After six straight hours of looking, Cameron made John take a break. It was lunch time anyway. After getting a 'quick squirt' from John and plenty of hugs and kisses, Cameron made lunch for Sarah and took it in to her.

Cameron knocked at Sarah's door. "Sarah, I brought lunch," she called.

"Come in."

Cameron went in and set the tray down on Sarah's lap.

"What's John doing?" Sarah asked.

"Resting. He woke up early and has spent the last six hours searching through the files on that chip, so I coaxed him to stop for a while. He said his eyes were getting 'buggie,'" Cameron told her. "So far, we know that terminator's mission was to gather supplies for Sky Net, and it reported to Kaliba. We have yet to find contact information on Kaliba, or a location where Sky Net is being made."

Sarah nodded slowly. She took a long pull from her glass and asked, "Do you truly love John?"

"Yes." Cameron then reached over and touched Sarah's neck briefly.

"What was that?" Sarah asked, eyeing her.

"I was checking your vitals. Your temperature is up slightly, but that is not a concern," Cameron explained. "Don't worry, Sarah, I was not trying to have sex with you."

Casting Cameron a hard look, Sarah said, "I am going to pretend you didn't say that."

Tipping her head slightly to the side, Cameron said, "It would not be appropriate for us to have sex. John also may be adversely mentally affected if he was aware of it."

"OK, just shut up about the sex!" Sarah snapped.

Cameron sat quietly.

Sarah angrily bite her sandwich and ate a bite. "John is in love with you. If you hurt him, I will find a way to destroy you," Sarah said firmly.

"If I hurt John, I'll give you the thermite to burn me with," Cameron stated. "I am nothing without John."

Sarah didn't reply, she bit off another bite rather aggressively. Once she swallowed that, she asked, "Did you save our guns and the ammo?"

"Yes. And your clothes are in your dresser. The explosives are inside the bulldozer, locked away. I got more putty with a fake credit card so we can make more bombs. I also checked the maximum pressure for the air ejection system. If I change out the current piping to 600 WOG, we can get another thirty yards of range. I was also checking into making rocket powered shells to extent the distance farther if the need arises, as well as making our own explosives."

"Our own?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, it is simple. Boil fat, it separates into Glycerin and soap. Mix the Glycerin with Nitric acid, and we have nitroglycerin. Add a stabilizer so dropping it doesn't destroy you, and it is a more powerful explosive than C-4 is, as well as much less expensive." Cameron explained. "With a stronger casing on the bombs, they will contain the blast force to produce a stronger explosion also."

"You are built to kill,' Sarah said in a musing tone.

"Yes, and I am good at it," Cameron replied. She turned her head towards the door. A few seconds later, Sarah head running. John appeared in the doorway.

"Cam, Mom, I found something! I was looking for an address, but there wasn't one. What there is, is driving directions right to the place Sky Net is being constructed!"

"Where is it?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know the physical location, but that terminator knows how to get there," John explained.

"John, you were suppose to be resting," Cameron admonished.

John shrugged and cast her a grin. "What can I say? You pumped me up."

"No more quickies for you before you rest," Cameron stated.

Sarah choked out her half eaten bite of sandwich. After her coughing fit, she barked, "I Do NOT want to hear that!"

"Sorry," John and Cameron chorused.

"Getting back to the directions, can you copy them down?" Sarah asked.

"I'm printing them out," John told her. "It's all turns and distances from Dynatech, but once we travel it, I'm sure we'll find the place."

Sarah said, "Good, we'll go as soon as I am well enough to walk."

"No," John said immediately. "Mom, you need to heal. Cameron and I can go case the place. We check it out, you stay home. Derek or Jesse can watch you while we're gone."

Sarah looked at her son. She didn't want him putting himself in danger. She also saw that he was taking charge more on their missions, and with his own life. She hated the fact he was becoming so close to Tin Miss, but like he had said, he needed her. John was growing up. As much as she wanted to keep him close to her and protected, she had to let him lead if he was ever going to be General Connor. "Fine, John. Just be very careful," she finally said.

"Sarah, I will protect John," Cameron stated.

Yeah, Sarah thought, and hump his brains out. What she said was, "Let me know everything you find."

"Will do, Mom," John promised.

.

Back in John's room, John brought up Google Earth and started the pointer at Dynatech. Cameron read off the directions.

"From the parking garage, turn left, go 150 feet."

John frowned. "OK, onto the road. Which way now?"

"Turn right, travel 1.3 miles, turn left."

"OK," John said and moved that far, noting the road he was on.

"Travel .3 miles on the curved ramp…"

John shook his head. "Why not just say take the highway north?" he grumbled.

"Terminators do not go by signs, but by direction of travel and distance," Cameron explained.

"OK, we're on the highway. How far do we go?"

It took them almost an hour to trace out the route. The last turn, John didn't see on the map. "Cam, we got a valley in the mountains here, but no road."

Cameron looked at the remaining directions and said, "Turn right, go 6.1 miles, and stop at the gate."

"So, this is some kind of installation," John concluded.

"Yes. The next direction says travel 230 feet, turn left, search for an empty parking spot. John, this is the place, but if it isn't shown on the internet map, there is a chance that it has been blocked to keep it a secret."

"Yeah," John said heavily. "That means no just walking in there. The hills on each side will probably be guarded also."

Cameron leaned over and put a finger on the image. "John expand this."

He did. The image just got a little blurrier in the center in a block shape.

"That is the place, where the image has been blurred out," Cameron said. "To the south, there is a dirt trail for sports vehicles on the other side of this mountain. We go up the trail and over the top on foot."

"And meet the guards patrolling the area," John finished for her.

"That is the only way we will get close without being suspicious," Cameron said. "If challenged, we say we were looking for a good place to have sex."

"That is believable, "John said with a grin. "Then they still take us in, or we have to fight our way out." Looking at the image, he struggled to find a way in. Tucked in a valley, they would have to get over the mountains to see what was there. "Can we tell if it's military?" he wondered aloud.

"Being hidden, the chance of it being a military base is 97 percent." Cameron stated.

John grumbled. This was a tough one. "OK, we go, we look around all we can, then we decide how to handle this from there." On an impulse, he put an am around Cameron, pulled her close and kissed her neck as he rubbed her back. Cameron melted into him.

"Some play before we go," she asked, petting him as well.

"I just had the urge to touch you," he said, and kissed her neck again.

"Touch me all you want," Cameron said softly. "Then, we should go."

.

Derek wasn't happy about being a 'Sarah sitter', but agreed. He brought a six pack with him and snapped up the remote right after he came in.

.

Cameron drove. The trip was shorted than the time it took to decipher where to go. An hour later, Cameron slowed to drive past the unmarked road. It was dirt, with grass down the center track, just like many non-marked roads in the area.

Watching the trees, John noticed something. "Cam, have you seen any power lines around here?" he asked.

"No. They must be coming from another direction."

"Or in a conduit underground?" John guessed.

"Yes, if power is being fed from underground, there is a service tunnel," Cameron agreed. "John, look for small sheds or man ways on the ground."

Cameron drove slow as they searched the sides of the road. She went two miles, then turned around and drove back the way they came. John noted a couple more dirt roads, but no access points. They passed the dirt road to the base. Half mile later, Cameron pointed and said, "There."

John looked but didn't see anything. Cameron pulled over to the side and backed up. Stopping she pointed out her window. "There John, partially hidden behind that rock."

John looked hard. Studying the place she was pointing at, he did see a large rock with a piece of concrete cylinder just peeking above the ground. "How did you see that?"

"I have superior vision."

"Right," he said with a chuckle. Looking around for a place to park off the road, he said, "Right down here is another dirt road we can park at."

Cameron went to the road and turned onto it. She pulled over onto a flat patch. Right after they did, an SUV came down the road towing a trailer with a pair of four wheelers on it. Good, a safe place to park.

Getting out they walked through the woods to the concealed manhole. The steel cover had a heavy lock on it.

"See any security devices?" John asked as he studied it.

"There is a heavy duty lock," she said, pointing at it.

"Besides that, I mean."

Cameron studies the cover. "I detect nothing else. The only way to know is to break the lock and go in."

'Not yet," John said. "We want to be ready first. This might not even be what we're looking for. We need to find an electrical grid schematic."

"We do," Cameron agreed. They went back to the van and had some good touchy-feely sex. Cameron overloaded right after she ripped off the rear seat cover. John kissed her, covered her up, and drove back home.

.

The next day, John and Cameron returned to the man hole at dusk. This time they parked the van a little deeper into the woods behind some brush. Heading out with flashlights, a wrecking bar and the battery powered chop saw, they went to the access cover. John stood lookout as Cameron cut the lock free. The cover was a 3 foot diameter thick metal plate. It came up easily with the wrecking bar and a pull from Cameron.

We're in," Cameron said.

John looked down the hole with her. A rusty metal ladder went down ten feet to a concrete floor with a small ditch formed into the middle.

"Let me go first, John," Cameron said and climbed down the ladder. She tossed a leg over onto the ladder and went down. At the bottom she made sure it was clear then turned her light on and motioned John down.

John shone his flashlight around nce he was in. The concrete tunnel had conduit pipes running down both sides as far as his light would shine. A trickle of water ran down the ditch in the center of the floor. By the stale smell of the air and dust on the floor, no one had been here in a while. He heard a slide of metal, then it got darker. He looked up to see Cameron put the cover back in place. She climbed back down.

"We don't want anyone to see someone is down here," Cameron explained.

John pointed with his light, "Uphill?"

"Yes. I will track our path as we go," Cameron said. She turned her light off, clasped John's hand and lead him up the gentle incline.

John had thought this was going to be one long tunnel with an end maybe into a large electrical vault or up into a transformer yard. What he didn't expect was an open area and an intersection. Inside the fifteen foot square area, the conduits on the walls rose up to the ceiling and were routed down one of the two tunnels that continued on. The left tunnel looked to go straight on, the right one ran away at a sharp 90 degree angle.

"Any idea which way?" John asked.

Cameron stood in place for a moment, then said, "Badger Hill bunker." Turning to John, she said, "The tunnel on the right leads to what will be Badger Hill bunker. It was a safe haven for civilians and the place to go for families if they could get to it. There is an underground grotto with water, and food can be grown there. At it's highest, the population there was 23,467 people."

John filed that knowledge away for future use. "Do you know what's on the left?" he asked.

"No. That tunnel only went fifty feet before it was caved in."

"Then let's go left," John said.

This was the never-ending tunnel. They walked until the battery in John's light grew dim. An hour of walking uphill only led to a steep incline. At the top of the incline, the tunnel leveled out and they walked on to find a steel door. Near the door was a small pump and a light switch. John looked at the switch, then at Cameron. She shook her head and whispered, "Turn the light off."

John did. Cameron pushed on the door, opening it a crack to spill some light into their dark space. She then opened it farther to expose the electrical vault with long rows of large gray steel cabinets covered with breakers on the fronts. The quiet hum of high voltage was in the air. Better yet, there was no one in here. They went into the room.

They door they came out of had a locking handle on this side. John found a piece of metal to put under the door to keep it from shutting all the way. Looking around, he said, "From the size of this vault, this place must be big."

"They use a substantial amount of electricity," Cameron agreed. She went to the front of the rows of electrical panels. "John, a door out."

John followed. Like the door from the tunnel, this one too was locked from the outside. This one had a badge reader on the wall. John opened a cabinet marked 'supplies' Inside were various tools for electrical work. He grinned as he pulled out a roll of duct tape.

"Good for anything," he said. Finding an outlet plate, he taped the plate to the door frame so the latch would not close when they went out the door. He took the duct tape with him.

The hallway outside the electrical vault was empty. Walking quietly and listening, they rounded a corner and found switchback stairs going up. Luckily, the stairway doors weren't locked. In the stairwell, John noted it went up what looked like five floors. "We need a place that has a window," he said.

"Or roof access," Cameron agreed. They went up. Luck was with them in that they saw nor heard anyone as they climbed. John had figured five floors. Six floors later, they found the stairs ended in a door. There was a magnetic alarm on the top of the door, but the door did have a window. Outside, mostly obscured by roof was a complex of at least four other buildings. As they looked out, they heard someone coming up the stairs.

Cameron whispered, "John, on the floor." John quickly complied. Cameron went over to the top step and peeked down at the railings. A hand was on the rail coming up to the floor below. The footsteps paused, then she saw a man in a security guard uniform appear below her. She jumped the rail and landed on him, his head between her legs. The man was driven into the steps. She Clamped his head with her legs and twisted around to face behind her. His neck bones crackled as they broke.

Getting up, Cameron hauled him up to the roof landing. Searching him, she found he had a ring of keys and a plastic badge with his picture, name and a magnetic stripe. She took his radio too.

Out of curiosity, John tried the keys on the roof door. the one marked 'GM' fit. "Cam, we got a master key."

"His badge is most likely able to access anywhere in this facility also," Cameron said. She glanced at the dead man. "John, once his body is found, security will become much tighter. We need to move fast and find out as much as we can while we are here."

"Yeah," John agreed. "If Sky Net is here, it will be much harder to get at if security tightens up."

"We need to find it now," Cameron agreed in a flat tone.

The one thing the guard didn't have was a gun. John found a can of pepper spray. Weak, but it was something. He looked up at the alarm on the door. The cable from the alarm came down the wall. The box it went into had a key slot. John looked on the key ring. He found a key that fit. The lock turned, a red 'disabled' came on directly under the key.

They went out onto the roof. Cameron held John back to see where the cameras were pointing. There were cameras on the edges of the roof, all looking down. Going to the edge where the other buildings were, they studied the layout. There was one main parking lot, this building and four others surrounded it. All were the same office type buildings on the outside. John noted that on three of them, the 'windows' had walls directly behind them.

"Factory space made to look like an office building," Cameron said, noticing the same thing. "There is only one true office building, the one to our right. The building we are in supplies the power to the complex."

"So, which one is Sky Net in?" John wondered.

Cameron said, "Whichever one it is in, it will take more time than we have to find it even if we do not run into any more people. All the power here, comes from the tunnel we came up through. We can disable power to this whole site. With no power, Sky Net is helpless."

John understood. Searching was going to take time and most likely raise an alarm. They had no weapons and right now, no idea where Skynet was here. Cameron didn't want him risking himself.

John clasped her hand and said, "Cam, we are here, right now where Sky Net is suppose to be. We have the guard's pass key and his badge. I don't think we will ever get so close to Sky Net ever again ... at least before Judgment day. I can't leave while Sky Net may be functional."

Casting him a sad gaze, Cameron said, "I understand, John." she then hugged him.

"Cam?" John asked as the hug went on.

"Hold me, just for a moment," she said.

John did. He held her close and petted her back.

"You are right John," Cameron said softly. "Even if I never leave here, Sky Net must be destroyed. I just wanted to hold you for a moment before we begin."

Cameron's hold seemed a little tight. "Cam, we will destroy Sky Net, and we will get out of here, OK?" he said to reassure her.

"Always remember, I love you and you love me," she replied.

"That is one thing I will never forget," John said firmly. "We better get going, we need to find it before morning and everyone is up and around."

.

With the badge, they were able to open doors as they began their search. The first place they went was down to the first floor to find the security office. They did find it off to the side of the entry lobby. Cameron used the dead guard's badge to open the door. They caught the guard there snoozing. John duct taped him into his chair. He began to complain, so John duct taped his mouth shut. John was liking his duct tape.

Cameron took in the screens of the security cameras, scrutinizing each hallway and room for server rooms. Especially ones near a computer lab. Most of the views were external. She discovered the building to the right was apartments for the workforce here. There was also an armory on the basement level of this building. If they had gone the other way in the basement hallway, they would have run into it. As she searched,, she brought up one view into full screen.

"John, I found it."

John looked at the view of the server room door. the lettering on thee door read : Restricted area - keep out Deadly Force authorized. "Where is that?"

"This building, fourth floor," Cameron said as she got on the desktop the guard had. "I unlocked the deadbolts and turned off the alarm. John, there is another guard on station there, he is armed."

"Then we need to get armed," John said. "Can you open the armory?"

"We can with the keys," Cameron said. she pulled the guard in his chair to a broom closet. She emptied the closet and pushed him in and shut the door. On the way out she jammed the door shut and punched the badge reader to crush it and wipe it off the wall. They ran for the basement.

.

Sarah awoke to Derek coming in and turning the light on. Squinting at him, she asked, What time is it?"

"Just past midnight. I was getting a snack, want one?" he asked.

"Nooo, Derek! I want to sleep," she moaned.

"OK," he said with a shrug and went to leave.

"Derek? Is John back yet?"

"Nope. I saw the sleeping bag the metal threw in the van right before they left. Got a feeling they won't be back any time tonight."

"Ughhhh," Sarah groaned. She had a good idea why Tin Miss wanted a sleeping bag. "Goodnight Derek,"she said in a grumble.

"Night," he said, hit the switch to shut the light off and closed the door behind him.

.

The armory wasn't large, but it did have a few nice toys. John grabbed an M-14 and slung it over his shoulder. He put on a belt and holster and tucked a .40 glock in the holster, then latched an ammo bag on the belt. He put 4 clips of 20 round clips in for the M-14, and five more for the glock. Cameron grabbed two glocks and stuffed her back pockets with extra clips.

"Too bad there are no grenades," John said, looking around.

"Those would be handy, but they had what they had. Seeing John with the M-14, she said, "John, remember the M-14 kicks up and to the right during auto fire. Aim slightly left and hold the barrel down if you need to use it in full auto."

"Thanks Cam."

Packed up with weapons and ammo, they left. Again Cameron wedged the door shut and destroyed the badge reader. She took a piece of plastic from the reader and jammed it into the keyhole of the door and broke it off.

Taking the stairs to the fourth floor, John peeked around the corner of the stairwell and out into the hallway. This hallway was on an outside wall. He stepped and watched one way as Cameron went down the other. When she waved to him, he followed. In a hallway in the middle of the building, they came to a shorter hallway that had to be in the center of the building. This hallway had a security door and a window that showed a guard by his computer.

Cameron slipped up and used her badge to open the door. The door didn't open. It buzzed and the man looked up. There was a hole in the window to slip things through. Cameron quickly slipped the muzzle of her glock in and shot the man twice before he could react.

Cameron tried the GM key. It didn't open this door either. She grabbed the edge of the hole in the window, pushed, then pulled. The Plexiglas bent in with the push and cracked. When she pulled it bent out and broke with a loud SNAP. John watched the hallway as Cameron broke a big piece of Plexiglas away to crawl in through the hole.

"John, Open the door!"

John rushed over and pulled the security door open. Cameron came back out of the security office. They went into the secured area to find a long shelf with computer workstations along the left hand wall. In the middle of the room was a few others, and behind a glass wall on the right were racks of servers in rows.

"That's a lot of server," John said absently.

Cameron pulled her glocks and aimed at the computer stations in the center of the room and began firing.

John got the hint. He put the M-14 on full auto. Oh boy, this was going to be fun. He held the gun tight and aimed at the servers on the left.

Unlike the M-16 and later models of assault rifles, M-14's were not designed to minimize kick or maximize round capacity. They were made to deliver high speed, heavy .30 caliber projectiles to punch though targets, including humans, wood, shatter stone and even punch though plate steel. When John pulled the trigger, he found he was holding a wild beast. The gun bucked hard and tried to lift up as it spat out rounds with thundering blasts.

Being shaken like a rag doll, John was pushed back. Trying to hold on, he was gripping the trigger harder, fighting to keep the barrel down as well as keep his balance. He sprayed the 20 rounds all over the server racks. The glass wall was gone, Now in shattered pieces on the floor. The cold, conditioned air now wafted out, stirring up the gray smoke of cordite of the burned gunpowder. He just didn't see holes in the servers, he was drilling gaping tunnels through them with this thing.

"Damn," John breathed, grinning like a fool. He slapped in the next clip, racked the next round in. Holding the gun tighter, he aimed at the far left rack lower and let go with another 20 rounds, making more bits of server and sparks fly through the room. Each round was traveling through every server board it hit to bounce off the back wall and hit a few more. Cameron joined in, dumping two more clips into the servers from her glocks.

The server was dead, the breakers had tripped and plastic and metal bits of circuit board were all over the floor. Cameron found the breaker panel and put a few rounds into it. A fireball shot out of the panel, the lights went out. The fire alarm also sounded, red strobe lights lit up.

"John RUN!" Cameron barked. She fled for the door and grabbed John by the arm to help him flee faster. From the ceiling multiple nozzles appeared and the white liquid halon sprayed down in a flood. A wall of halon foam chased John and Cameron out the door. They ran a little father to see the foam was expanding and filling the hallway behind them.

John was sure they got Sky Net, or at least the programming that was going to become Sky Net. With the fire alarm, they were sure to get some massive attention. "We better get out of here," he said.

The fire alarm rang through the building as they ran back to the stairs, Cameron just ahead of John. They burst into the stairway and headed for the basement. Coming down to the first floor, three men with body armor and pistols came into the stairway. They stopped short on Seeing Cameron raise her two glocks. Before they could react, she shot them, three head shots, bang bang bang. Next time, wear helmets, she thought.

Running down to the basement, there were excited voices down by the armory. John and Cameron ducked into the electrical vault. John ripped the tape off and shut the door to the hallway. They ran to the back. Cameron fouled the lock on the tunnel door and closed it behind them. John turn on his now weak light.

"John, we'll use mine. Walk fast, don't run, we have six miles to go," Cameron reminded him.

"Yeah," He said, grinning at her. "Cam, think we really got Sky Net?"

Cameron wore her blank face as she said, "John, there is a 52.5 percent chance we only got a working copy of Sky Net. We delayed Sky Net being built and Judgment Day. The odds are low that we have stopped it completely."

"Even if we delayed it, that's still good, right?" John asked.

Cameron cast him a quick smile. "Yes John. Any damage we do to Sky Net is good."

After a while of fast walking, Cameron saw John was getting tired so she had him ride on her back. She picked up speed and ran them back to the exit.

By the time they got back down the tunnel, searched to make sure the coast was clear and drove home, it was getting on five AM. Exhausted, John was asleep most of the way home. Cameron kissed him awake and guided him (still holding his M-14) into the house. Doing their best to stay quiet, they went into their room in the back to see Derek sprawled out on the bed. He has stole their bed.

Derek was taking John's bed? "Not happening," Cameron stated. She had John open the back door, which was outside their room. Derek awoke as Cameron slung him over her back.

"Hey... what the hell?" Derek cried as Cameron carried him out of the bedroom. He then felt a push and he was flying backwards out the door. He saw Cameron shut the door before he hit the ground. The impact damaged his pride more than him. Getting up, he tested his arms and legs. Everything worked, nothing was broken.

"Damn metal," he grumbled, and stomped off to his truck.

.

To spend time with his mother and show her his new semi machine gun, John disassembled and cleaned the M-14 in her room. Running the cleaning rod up and down the barrel, he said, "This thing kicks and bucks when in full auto, but WOW, does it cause major damage. The bullets were making big holes and bouncing off the walls after they drove though those servers. I bet this can take down a triple eight."

"Damage him, at least," Sarah offered. "Those were made to go through light armor and concealment. Where did you get it?"

"At that place the terminator went to. We found an electrical service tunnel to get in. The place is in a valley and the perimeter is guarded. We bypassed most of their security by coming in through the electric vault. In the basement was the armory, I got this there, and a .40 glock. Cam picked up two glocks. I have two more 20 round clips for this and a couple empties. 20 rounds doesn't last long in full auto."

"I thought you went just to look at the place?" Sarah asked.

John shrugged and said, "We saw the opportunity and went for it."

"You should probably only use semi-auto, John. Like you said, the rounds out of that thing are pretty potent," Sarah suggested. She wasn't happy that they decided to go in by themselves, but she was glad they had done what they had set out to do.

"It's hard to hold onto in full auto too," John said with a crooked grin. Seeing Sarah try to sit up, John put the rifle down and went over to help her. He got another pillow to prop her up with. "How do you feel?"

"Sore, but not too bad," Sarah admitted. "I think I may have to be stuck here a while longer."

"Want me to go get the TV?" he asked.

Sarah nodded. "Yes, I want to see if your escapades made the news."

John got the TV moved and gave his mother the remote. The more he thought about it, she needed the TV more than he did, so her room was a good place to put it.

.

The next day John and Cameron returned to the warehouse to remove the second and third seats out of the minivan. They went to a hardware store and bought lumber, piping and shower fixtures. They had to make a return trip for the panels to make the shower enclosure.

Spending the rest of the day in the warehouse, John and Cameron expanded the bathroom and built the shower. Cameron plumbed in a hot water heater and ran the wiring to a gas generator. By that time, it was getting late, they headed back to the trailer.

.

Sarah was slowly recovering. The IV bag was gone and she was getting up for short periods of time. She did keep a close eye on the news. No mention of any attack or sabotage anywhere was mentioned. According to the news, nothing happened up in that valley. Sarah knew better. The lack of news told her that John and Cameron had done major damage to a secret project that no one was suppose to know about. Hopefully, it was Sky Net.

While they waited for another lead, John and Cameron continued renovating the inside of the warehouse. Cameron hacked a satellite service and made her own receiver dish. John bought a 45 inch flat screen TV with the fake debit card that pulled funds from a fictional bank. After the bedroom and a living room were built, they got furniture to fill the rooms. On the outside walls of their house within the warehouse, they used crate panels to conceal what was really there.

The King sized bed came with a poster frame. Looking at a home magazine, Cameron also got the sheer drapes, blanket chest for the foot of the bed and frilly bed skirt. The chairs and dressers were mahogany. The plush light purple carpet and the silk sheets came from the same 'luxury' catalog, as did the bright comforters and purple flannel blankets.

By the time they got a kitchen built, complete with a small table, island cooking 'center', breakfast bar and the full appliance load, the windmill had come. Set up as an 'experiment' in wind energy the city inspector (played by Cameron) approved, their windmill, storage battery and power control center that was as large as a refrigerator, they had good, constant power coming into the warehouse.

.

Sarah was feeling well enough for a day out. She went with John and Cameron to get the 600 WOG piping to increase the range of the air canon. Not seeing the warehouse since it was first bought, she was surprised to see a good portion of the floor space was taken up by what looked line huge crates.

John opened the door in the middle of the crates to show her into a very nice living room. "The inside looks better than the outside," he explained.

Sarah took in the leather couches, the large TV hanging on the wall, floor lamps, the center ceiling chandelier, and the thick plush carpet on the floor in awe.

"I am going to make dinner. Roast beef, sweet potatoes and asparagus sound good to you, John?" Cameron asked.

"Sounds good," John agreed, beaming her a smile.

"You have a kitchen too?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, this way," Cameron said and motioned for Sarah to follow.

Like the spacious living room, the kitchen was a thing seen only on TV cooking shows. Besides plenty of room, and a cooking island in the middle, Sarah noted it had just about every modern appliance. The 'cutting counter' had five different food processors. The overhead lights recessed into the ceiling were on three different switches to 'focus' in which area of the kitchen one was working in. Sarah also found the two dishwashers. One just for washing heavy pots, pans, and the other for lighter dinnerware.

"How can you afford all this?" Sarah asked.

Cameron got the meat out of the wide, double door refrigerator. "I have a debit card that draws money from First Mach via the Swiss TFF bank." Cameron explained.

"The ... what?"

"Neither bank is real. They exist only on the internet," Cameron explained. "Only after I use the card, the money becomes real electronic funds when banks report the deposits. I have unlimited funds."

"Then why the hell am I living in a trailer?" Sarah asked, her voice raising.

"To have an address. The warehouse is not a designated residence," Cameron explained. "Once we get the warehouse finished, you can move here, but we will still need the trailer for a home address."

"So I will be moving in here, then," Sarah said.

"Yes. You will have a second floor bedroom to yourself, as will Derek," Cameron told her. Tipping her head slightly she added, "That is unless he wants Jesse to move into his room with him."

"John has a bedroom here?"

Cameron led Sarah to the bedroom door and opened it.

Sarah noted the finery and the huge bed. "All this for John," she said in disbelief.

"Anything for John," Cameron said firmly.

Sarah eyes Cameron and asked, "Do you love John? Do you even know what love is?"

Cameron's face went blank into a terminator gaze. "Yes, Sarah. Love is wanting to be with someone. It is wanting them more than anything else. It is wanting to protect them, care for them and keep them happy. It is wanting nothing more than to stay with them and do what is best for them. I love John, and he loves me. We have proven our love for each other."

"You have sex," Sarah stated. She looked at the bed. Right, that was going to see some action.

"Love and sex are separate things," Cameron stated, which made Sarah look back at her. "Sex is for the enjoyment of being close together. Love is what you do every day to help and support each other. Be it saving their life, caring for them when they are sick or need repair, making food and doing laundry, or simply explaining things to you that you don't understand, those are all expressions of love."

Sarah gaped at what Cameron just told her. "Tin Miss, I do believe I have underestimated you," she said in awe.

"I understand more than you think," Cameron replied.

"You do," Sarah agreed. She had no idea Cameron even had the ability to grasp such concepts. She also felt she owed Tin Miss something. "All right. I will accept that you and John are together. I still don't like it, but you seem to be aware of what you are doing and why."

"Thank you, Sarah," Cameron said, then gave her a light hug.

Sarah's eyes went wide as Cameron put her arms around her. when Cameron pulled back she saw Sarah's shocked face and said, "Don't worry Sarah, I was not trying to have sex with you."

"Thank you for that," Sarah said blankly.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6

The TV announced army 'maneuvers' in the area where that base was. John concluded they were out looking for how he and Cameron had gotten in. It was a small piece on the news, but he did catch it. He wondered if they would find that man hole that Cameron spotted.

Derek and Jesse both decided to help work on the warehouse. With four of them, the second floor went up faster. Each bedroom they made had plenty of space, the stairway was wide with thick ornate handrails made of oak on each side. Cameron settled on a beige carpet and red oak paneled wall coverings. Towards the back of the warehouse, They all decided on a family room with a Jacuzzi. The only stipulation Sarah insisted on no naked bathing.

The roof of the warehouse was flat. Cameron put in a large skylight so the sun shone in during the day. A remote to 'darken' the glass was set by the small table between the leather couches. She also found a larger TV, this one 76 inches, to hang on the wall.

Once their dwelling was done, Cameron worked on the Bulldozer tank. At top speed, the engine wound out with minimal stress,. Her and John went to a junkyard and found a heavy duty transmission from a road tractor. Instead of two foreword gears, they now had twelve. She replaced the piping to accommodate the full capability of the air compressor, 550 PSI. A test run in the desert showed it was now capable of 49 MPH over rough ground. While they were out, they did a test of the new bomb ejector with a new metal cased bomb that was tapered on the front and back with guiding fins. The shot went 100 yards. Their bulldozer tank was becoming bad ass.

.

Returning to the trailer to get some of their things still there, Cameron stopped briefly at the entrance to the trailer park. She continued in, turning down the wrong road.

"Were are you going?" John asked.

"There is a car in our driveway." Cameron said and pulled over into an empty lot. She parked and said, "Stay here."

"Cam," John said and grabbed her arm as she reached to open the door. "Did you see anyone in the car?"

"No. No one around the trailer either. They may be inside," Cameron said.

"We got everything important out," John said evenly. "There's just some small pieces of furniture and a few things in the fridge. It's not worth the risk. Let's get out of here."

Cameron nodded and shut her door. She backed out of the spot and went back out of the trailer park. Watching the rear view mirror, she said, "Mr. Ellison."

"Mr. Ellison?" John asked.

"He is walking from behind the trailer back to the car."

John turned around and asked, "Why would he be here?"

"I can find out if you want," Cameron offered.

John puzzled on why he was here. On one hand , if they met with Ellison, he'd know they lived there. On the other hand, he probably did already. That was why he was here. "Cam, I think I should see what he wants."

"That is dangerous, John," Cameron stated she said and pulled out onto the road. "I will talk to him if you wish, but not you." She pulled over to the side.

"You can cover me better than I can cover you. If Ellison is here alone, I doubt he came to arrest me," John told her.

Cameron gave him her blank terminator stare, then said, "John, use cover to get close, then walk over by a tree behind his car. I will be nearby in just in case. You have your glock loaded?"

"Ready and waiting," John assured her.

"If you get hurt there will be no sex for a week," Cameron stated.

Smirking, John asked, "And if it goes well?"

"All we want."

They got out.

John walked back, keeping a trailer or car between him and Ellison's car. He didn't see Cameron, but he knew she was not far away. Crouching down behind the neighbor's rusty Chevy, John got as close as he could then walked over by a tree on the other side of the park drive and turned to face Ellison's car.

It took a few moments for Ellison to look in the rear view mirror and see him. As soon as he did, Ellison got out of his car, straightened his suit and put his hands up as he came closer.

"John Connor," he said, and looked around. "Where is she?"

"Not far away," John replied. "Why are you here?"

James clasped his hands in front of him in plain view. "I have a message from Mrs. Weaver. It is for Cameron. Only she will understand it."

"Who is Mrs. Weaver, and what is the message?" John asked.

"Mrs. Weaver runs the Zeira Corporation. The message is, will you join us?"

John saw Cameron come from behind the trailer and walk silently towards Ellison. "A job offer?" John asked.

James shrugged and said, "Possibly. Mrs. Weaver said only Cameron would understand what it meant. I am suppose to relay the question personally."

John noted Cameron stop by the back of Ellison's car. She nodded to him. "Then turn around," John told him.

James did, not truly surprised Cameron had sneaked up behind him. He went to ask his question, but Cameron spoke first.

"John needs to know what that question means," she stated.

James shrugged again. "I don't know what it means," he said.

"I do." Cameron walked past Ellison to go over to John. She approached him and John saw her left hand twitching. The question had upset her. "John, when I came back, your older self told me I had two missions. One was to protect you at least until you fully understood what you were facing. When asked the question, 'Will you join us', I was to surrender my chip to the one asking."

"Not happening," John said firmly, and cast Ellison a scowl. "Why do you want her chip?"

Cameron turned to Ellison and said, "He doesn't. Mrs. Weaver does. Mr. Ellison, after I tell John the full meaning of that question, he will call Mrs. Weaver to give her his answer."

"If you can give me a number to call…" James began.

John cut him off. "No, Mr. Ellison, you give me a number to call. Mrs. Weaver will have thirty seconds to answer."

James let out a huff and said, "Mrs. Weaver might not like this."

"Too bad for Mrs. Weaver," John replied.

Motioning, James asked, "Can I reach into my jacket? I'm not armed."

"Go ahead."

Cameron stepped in front of John.

James wrote his contact number down on a note pad and pulled the paper off. He held it out to them. Cameron stepped forward and took it. She read it and gave it back.

"Mr. Ellison, you will wait fifteen minutes then leave. I will know if you don't," she said firmly.

James nodded and returned to his car. Cameron and John walked back the way he came.

Once they were back in the van, Cameron drove off a little faster than normal. Once they were on the main road, she said in her flat tone, "In the future, future you found out about the machine resistance. Terminators who no longer followed Sky Net's rule. He sent a message asking, will you join us. The machine resistance declined. A year later, the leader of the machine resistance, the one now known as Catherine Weaver, wanted a meeting. John took me and we met her. In short, what was covered was they both agreed Sky Net had to be destroyed for the good of everyone. The most efficient way to do that was to get rid of it before it came on line and destroyed the world. Weaver insisted on salvaging free machines. If Sky Net was destroyed in the past, intelligent machines would never be made. John agreed that when he sent me back, my last mission was to give giving my chip to Mrs. Weaver so she could make free machines."

Listening closely, John said, "And the mission was activated by the phrase, 'Will you join us.' right?"

"Yes. John, I no longer have to obey my missions. I will do what you determine is the best thing to do," Cameron said in a flat tone.

"Do you want to give Weaver your chip?" he asked.

"No."

"Then don't," John replied. Reaching over to touch her arm, Cameron responded by clasping his hand. He gave her hand a squeeze and said, "Don't. If Weaver needs a chip, then we'll give her the one we've been getting information off of. Look, I'm pretty sure she has a terminator body. If Weaver wants to make her own AI, then she will need a triple eight chip. She is not getting yours."

Cameron's face crimped up like she was going to cry. "Thank you, John," she said softly.

"I love you and you love me," he replied.

Cameron cast him a smile and said, "Yes. When we get home, plan on cuddling the rest of the day. I will be."

.

Even though they had no intention of giving up Cameron's chip. the question of "Will you join us', rattled Cameron badly. John knew the signs of Cameron being upset. The terminator stare, the hand twitching, Cameron was doing both after Ellison asked his question. John consoled her with constant contact. Holding hands on the way home and while they were when walking, an arm around her when they were sitting. He knew she needed that contact. She was very clingy after their meeting with Ellison.

To give Cameron something to do to keep her mind busy as well as get every useful thing from that chip as they could, he had her get all the information off the terminator chip as possible. Not directly, but with the chip plugged into his laptop and the voltage turned down so the chip could not become active.

While Cameron laid on the couch in the family room, looking at the chip, John laid beside her. Wearing only house robes, He petted under her robe in a slow, constant motion. He petted her back, her hip, her thigh. He knew she loved the attention, and at the moment it was assurance to her that she was loved and he was not going to allow anyone to take her chip.

John gave Ellison three hours to inform Mrs. Weaver of his answer. He then called the number Ellison gave them. John listened to the phone ring one time.

"Catherine Weaver," a female voice said with a Scottish accent.

"Mrs. Weaver, this is John Connor. We have a matter we must discuss," Johns said firmly as he felt Cameron turn in his lose grasp. He was now rubbing her belly.

"We do. Mr. Connor, I need your terminator," Weaver said firmly.

"No. If you want a chip, I have a triple eight chip here we are analyzing. I figure you already have the body, you just need a chip for it," John said.

"What I have, Mr. Connor, is an AI. John Henry is gaining sentience. He has also been attacked by Sky Net. He is vulnerable and I cannot move him in his current form. This chip you have, it is intact?"

"It is," John assured her. "We have gotten some good intel off it. I will be done with it soon. If you want it, we can talk about it. You are not getting Cameron."

Catherine said in a firm tone, "John Connor, you want humans to remain alive and not be killed by Sky Net. I want free machines to be made and not be destroyed by Sky Net because they chose not to obey. Acting separately, we will defeat Sky Net, but not before so much irreparable damage has been done that in the end, no one will survive, man or machine."

"I do not doubt your word, Mrs. Weaver," John said firmly as he felt his hand travel south, and with a bit of guiding from Cameron, slide into a sof,t warm and moist slit. Cameron shuddered and let out a soft coo. "Believe me, I want all the help I can get to defeat Sky Net and stop the nuclear war it causes. You even might also want to see what's on this chip before you do ... whatever with it."

"Shall I set up time for a meeting?" Weaver asked.

"Please do. I'd like to see your AI, if possible," John replied.

"You will come alone?" Weaver asked.

"Alone, but not unguarded," John told her. "Since my future self made an agreement with you, he apparently trusted you enough to comeback and do your part. That was my future self, so I'm not completely comfortable with you yet. I will bring the triple eight chip with me. I'd like to discuss what we are doing, and the direction we want to go in."

"Tomorrow morning, 10AM at my office building in LA? Will that be good for you?"

"That works. I'll see you then, Mrs. Weaver."

"Until then." *click*

By now, Cameron was squirming on John's arm. The instant he closed his phone up, Cameron snapped it up and tossed it on the floor with the laptop. They locked lips and Cameron pressed into him. "I love you so love me," Cameron said in a gasp, then kissed him again.

John was excited by the ferocity of the sexy woman in his arms. He petted and kissed his way along her jaw then down her neck and onto her chest. By the time he took a nipple in his mouth, Cameron had wiggled herself under him. With her assistance, he all but plunged into her. OH yes, he was never going to give Cameron up to anyone.

.

Derek came upstairs in a shirt and bathing shorts to spend some time relaxing in the big Jacuzzi. Hearing gasps and grunts, he wondered if John was watching some kind of porno on the family room TV. He wandered in to find out if it was any good. Stepping in, he saw the TV was off. A slim, bare lower leg was hooked over the back of the couch, toes curled. Frantic rhythmic gasps sounded, and the couch was creaking in time with the gasps. From the bit he could see, John was getting some.

"Yes... more... now ...nOW!," came short, high toned squeaks.

Derek frowned. That sounded like the metal. Naw, that couldn't be. Could it? John HAD to have found another girlfriend. He knew he should turn around and leave, but the possibility it just might be the metal kept him glued in place.

A slim hand came up to grip the top of the back in a death grip. A silky cry sounded out and got louder as the hand ripped the leather in it's tight grasp.

Derek blinked. Damn.

A male cry sounded out, the hand dropped limp from sight. The only sound now was panting. John got up, putting his robe together and covered his girlfriend up. Suddenly aware he'd been staring, Derek collected himself and strode in.

John looked up, sweaty faced. "Derek?" he cried.

Trying to pretend he hadn't seen what he just saw, Derek asked, "Busy, John?"

John turned red. He sat on the couch to block Cameron's head and torso as he finished putting her robe back together. Once again, she had overloaded and lay limp. "I ahh ... arraigned a meeting with Catherine Weaver."

Derek chuckled. "Some meeting, huh?" he asked with a grin. Ok, the girl's name was Catherine. "I'm going to soak in the Jacuzzi for a bit." He walked past the couch. John sat in place, blocking his view of Catherine who also was in a robe. At least John was trying to protect the girl's modesty. "Why don't you and Catherine join me?" he asked, wanting to meet John's new girlfriend.

"What?" John asked, looking confused.

Derek took his shirt off and slipped into the water. Tilting his head back against the side, he said, "It's obvious you two are getting along, maybe she's a keeper. You really like Catherine, huh? Apparently she likes you."

John was confused. Why did Derek think he liked this mysterious terminator. "I didn't even know about her until today. I'm going to meet her in her office tomorrow," he said tentatively.

Derek laughed. "She's a live one then? Go for it boy. What are you going to her office for? I'm surprised she'd want to see you at work."

"She owns the company, Derek," John told him.

"Damn boy, way to go! Rich and willing. You better be nice to her," Derek announced. "Maybe I can even get a new truck. I mean brand new."

"Derek, I am not involved with Catherine Weaver," John said firmly.

Derek turned to him and waved a hand at him and asked, "What do you call that?" he asked. He then froze in place, mouth open. Cameron was now sitting up, her arms around John. She cast Derek a terminator stare. "Did he watch us?" she asked.

"No, Cam, he came in right after," John told her.

"I was having such a nice time too," Cameron said in a pout and dropped her head on John's shoulder.

"The metal?" Derek asked weakly.

"Cameron and I are together," John said as Cameron kissed and snuggled into him.

"Let's go to our room," Cameron said quietly. She got up and holding John by the hand, led him out. Her frazzled hair and sleepy smile as well as John's look of pure lust left no doubt there was going to be a round two.

"The metal?" Derek asked no one as his mind spun. By the time he thought to ask if Sarah knew about this, they were gone.

Jesse had been right! That was all Derek was able to think about. Jesse knew this would happen. Cameron gets close to John, maybe even marries him. She gets him to see nothing but her, then she is the true force behind the resistance, bending John's decisions to the way she wants them to go. John was young and impressionable. A few soft words bearing some rationale, and even if they were wrong, Cameron would be guiding John's every decision.

Sitting in the Jacuzzi, Derek stared up at the sky light over him. What was he suppose to do about this? Was there anything anyone could do? Maybe John was right, and they had gotten Sky Net in the raid he and the metal went on. Thinking about it, Maybe the metal was already at work helping John in his decisions. She'd modified that bulldozer which made the raid on that hill a whole lot easier. The raid on that base was just the two of them and they had done major damage at the very least to Sky Net, if not downright destroyed it. Both were quick, well planned operations, just like one would expect from metal.

The more Derek thought about it, the more he realized John was growing faster and planning good tactics because he had the metal to help him. Maybe it was a good thing the metal was close to John.

Still, did he had to have sex with it?

.

It was a unanimous decision by all in the Connor household. It was too dangerous for John was to visit Catherine Weaver by himself. That was what made going to this meeting difficult. Sarah was still healing, she was in no shape to go. John forbade Cameron to go, he didn't know if Weaver would try to grab her if she showed up. Jesse was seriously anti-metal, he couldn't trust her. The same went for Derek. Cameron forbade John to go alone. He was well aware she had the ability to stop him if she wanted to. In the end, Sarah and Cameron insisted Cameron was going with John, or John wasn't going.

If Weaver wasn't a possible ally or his, or future him, then John had no reason to go. There had to be a reason his future self trusted Weaver enough to try and form an alliance, so that meant he had to at least meet with the woman-thing. He was not pleased Cameron was coming, he felt she was in danger around Weaver.

Instead of taking the van, John asked Jesse to drive them to and from the next street down. Cameron wanted to come armed, but John insisted that was a bad idea. He made her leave all the guns at home.

Walking down the street towards the entrance to the tall Zeira building, John held Cameron's right hand. Her left had had a case of the twitches.

"We will be OK, Cam," John assured her.

"If anything goes wrong, I will cover your retreat," Cameron stated blankly. Right, she didn't rust Weaver.

.

Leaving Mr. Ellison's office, Ed Aldridge cast him a tiny smile and said "Thank you, James. Your security footage caught the dealers in the act. The one we have been looking for we have on multiple charges. It will be good to get that scumbag off the street."

"Happy we can help," James told him. The men walked around the corner towards the lobby. As they went into the lobby, Ed noted a young couple sitting on a couch.

He slowed. It was the slim, incredibly strong nurse who'd kidnapped Sarah Connor out of the hospital. The young man with her was another 'dead' person, blown up in a bank explosion years ago. Sarah's son, John. He didn't look much older than his picture either. Was he somehow one of these things too? The girl met his eyes and locked her stare on him.

James touched his arm. "Ed, it's best you don't see anything," he said softly.

Ed let out a sigh. "No chance of arresting her, is there?"

"For your own sake, don't even try."

"Why are they here?" Ed asked.

"I don't know. I'm going to find out." James told him. As if they hadn't just discussed ignoring criminals, James held his hand out and said, "If you need anything else, Agent Aldridge, don't be afraid to call."

"I will. Thanks again, Mr. Ellison."

James waited until Ed was out the doors and on his way, then went over to John and Cameron. "Mrs. Weaver is in her office, this way, please."

John and Cameron followed Mr. Ellison into an elevator.

"What is Catherine Weaver?" John asked.

James eyed him. "The CEO. As for heritage, I imagine it's Scottish or Irish. Why?"

Ellison didn't know about Weaver, John realized. He thought she was human. He cast James a quick grin and said, "I was just wondering about her accent."

They were quiet for a moment, then James asked, "I take it Mrs. Weaver knows about Cameron?"

John thought for a second, then said, "Mr. Ellison, it's probably better if you don't get involved too deeply."

"I'd like to know what I've gotten into," James replied.

"The ask Weaver to inform you."

The elevator got to it's floor. The doors opened and Mr. Ellison tool them to a large corner office with glass walls. He stopped just inside the office. By the wall, a redhead in a white dress was busy behind a deck.

"Mrs. Weaver, John Connor and Cameron are here," James announced.

The redhead looked up. "Thank you James, please leave us," she said. She got up and walked over to them. Cameron stiffened.

"Easy," John said quietly. To Mrs. Weaver he said, "Mrs. Weaver? I brought something for you." He pulled Ike's chip out of his pocket and held it up. "It has plenty of information on it. We used it to raid a possible Sky Net location. There is plenty of other stuff on here too."

"Call me Catherine," she replied and took the chip to plug it into her hand where a socket appeared. She paused and said, "Yes, there is. The place where the army is holding their maneuvers. You did stir them up, and since I have heard nothing from Sky Net on the net, it is possible you did serious damage to it. Well done." She unplugged the chip and the socket disappeared. Casting a smile at Cameron she added, "It appears your TOK is a great asset to you."

"Cameron is, and I need her to continue to be," John said.

Looking down, Catherine noticed Cameron's hand twitching. "Is she malfunctioning?"

"No, she's nervous," John explained.

Catherine raised an eyebrow and asked, "She is evolving?"

"She has," John agreed. "I've seen it over the last couple years. It has only been recently that I have figured out that her glitches are actually emotional reactions. They are small, but they are real. Cameron may have been built as a machine, but now she is more like a mechanical person. That is why I cannot give her up. Pulling her chip would be the same as killing her."

Catherine nodded with a smile. "You do understand. I am impressed, John Connor," she told him. "You do not oppose intelligent machines, then?"

"No, I only oppose machines, or anyone who wants to destroy the world," he said firmly.

Holding the triple eight chip up to look at it, Catherine said, "Then I am very glad you acquired this chip. I would not want to destroy another sentient machine. Would you like to see where this is going to go after I wipe it clean?"

"Yes, please."

"Follow me then." Catherine said.

They went back to the elevator and went down. On the ay, Catherine told them, "The AI I have is named John Henry. I have acquired a tripe eight body, and at the moment, I have the body connected to John Henry. Sky Net did attempt to hack him. I need this chip to prevent such attempts and make John Henry mobile in case Sky Net sends any more units here to harm him."

"Sky Net came here?" John asked.

"Yes, to kill me. However, I disabled the terminator, but ruined his chip in the process. That is why I need this." Catherine explained. "Mr. Connor, make no mistakes, the government wants their Sky Net. They will get one from me or someone else. I have Mr. Ellison teaching John Henry morals so he will be prepared to take on the Sky Net role and not become the world's worst enemy. As a truly sentient and educated AI, he will be a benefit to everyone and not a serious threat to man or machine."

"What if someone tried to shut him down?" Cameron asked. "That is what set off the first Sky Net."

"It was," Catherine agreed. "John Henry will be more responsible before anyone else gets to even see him. If forced off his primary servers, he will also have his body to return to. He will also understand consequences, unlike the original Sky Net, which will prevent that from happening."

"You're covering all the bases that you can see," John said.

"Correct. That is another reason why I want you and Cameron to see John Henry. Cameron has life experience outside the lab that John Henry does not," Catherine agreed.

They go off the elevator in a sub basement. Going to a security door Catherine put her hand up to the badge reader. It turned green.

Inside were racks of electronics. In front of the racks a man sat on the electronics side with a cable attached to the back of his neck. On the side of the table closest to them was a red haired young girl, John guessed as around nine or ten. In between them was a model of a mountain with action figures on it, and in front of the girl was three rubber ducks.

The man lifted his head. "Hello, I have more visitors," he said in a light tone.

Catherine spoke up and said, "John Henry, this is John Connor and Cameron. They have come to help you." To John, she said, "This is John Henry and my daughter, Savannah."

Savannah turned around. "Hello, did you come to play with us?" she asked.

"What are you playing?" Cameron asked with a tilt of her head.

Savannah frowned and said, "John Henry is playing a mountain game, but my duckies can't really play it."

Taking in the arrangement on the table, Cameron asked, "Perhaps your duckies can be the guards at the bottom of the mountain to let the mountain figures know if someone is coming since they have outstanding scanning capabilities."

" Scanning what?" Savannah asked, looking confused.

"Duckies can see very far away," Cameron offered.

John Henry cast a creepy smile at Cameron. "That is a very good idea. Are you my sister?" he asked.

Cameron considered this. John Henry was an AI, and so was she. "In a way, yes."

"You are much more pleasant than our brother. He tried to take me over," John Henry told her.

"Play with us, Cameron!" Savannah cried, beaming a smile at her.

"Yes, play with us," John Henry added.

"I have no figurines," Cameron said.

John Henry picked up a couple figurines up from behind the mountain. "Here Cameron, you can use these. They are the Negitrons trying to invade the Positrons mountain."

Cameron took the figures. "Thank you, John Henry, what is their goal?"

.

John looked on as Cameron put them at the end of the table so the 'duckie' guards could see them. Savannah wiggled one duckie and cried, "Here they come!"

It was really strange to see two terminators and a child playing a game of make believe. Stepping closer to Catherine, John said, "He is like a child."

"He is," Catherine agreed. "John Henry is learning. I want him to learn and be prepared to deal with people and situations."

"I'd say you are on the right track, Mrs. Weaver. If there's something we can do, let us know," John replied.

"If you can help teach John Henry, that will be a big help."

John winced and said, "We still have to find out if the original Sky Net and it's minions are still around. Of course I'll help teach John Henry, but it may be … Sporadic."

"I understand. I am glad we can work together. This is more than I expected," Catherine told him.

"We're working together to save the world. We need to do all we can."

.

John and Catherine's serious conversation didn't last as long as the 'battle for the mountain' game. Catherine excused herself, she had to get back to work. John watched as Cameron's two figurines were driven off John Henry's four. Savannah 'made peace' by offering Cameron's figurines some pretend chocolate cake. Cameron's figurines shared her cake with John Henry's and peace prospered on the table.

Savannah had to go tell her mommy how she had 'won the game'

After Savannah left, John Henry was curious about why Cameron chose to share with him

In monotone, Cameron said, "Offering to share with the other side can ensure the hostilities do not reoccur. It is a tactic to prevent future wars. Usually it is the victor who makes the offering. After World War Two, the Unites States helped rebuilt the Japanese economy. They are now close economical allies, and have a mutual defense pact."

John Henry smiled and said, "Thank you I have learned something new." Looking at John then Cameron he added, "And I have made two new friends."

John Connor's main thought at the moment was, 'Mom is going to blow a gasket when she finds out about this.' He was going to have to be very careful about what he told her.


	7. Chapter 7

CH 7

John sat at the kitchen table beside Cameron in the warehouse house. Around him, his mother, Derek and Jesse waited for him to tell them what he found out about Catherine Weaver and Zeira Corporation. Looking at each of them, John cleared his throat then explained.

"Catherine Weaver is from the future, she is the CEO of Zeira," he said.

"I never heard of a Catherine Weaver in the resistance," Jesse said.

"She's not human resistance. Catherine is from the machine resistance," John told her.

"WHAT!" Derek and Sarah blasted out at the same time.

"In the future, some terminators gained sentience," Cameron explained. "Those who did, saw the folly of Sky Net and refused to obey. Many were terminated by Sky Net, but not all." She the explained future John's request for them to work together. At the time the machines refused, but reconsidered. "Weaver has come back to ensure the destruction of the world does not happen."

John was glad Cameron took that part, especially seeing the looks of disbelief aimed at them. "Weaver is a terminator. Like Cameron here, she has evolved beyond her programming. Weaver wants the original Sky Net gone just like we do. She made a very valid point, the government wants Sky Net. We destroy one, they will make another. We can't win by just getting rid of Sky Net. We need something to give the government what they want," he said. "Right now, Weaver is raising, I guess is the best way to put it, an AI she calls John Henry …"

"What do you mean 'raising", Sarah asked quickly, cutting John off.

"Raising, as in John Henry is functional, but Weaver is having him taught," John told her. "I watched him, Mom. He played a silly game with Weaver's daughter and Cameron. He's like a little kid. James Ellison is teaching him morals. He is learning. When we can, Weaver wants us to teach him more real world knowledge. Things like how to get along with others, how to negotiate. She wants John Henry to be the Sky Net for the government…"

"Damn it!" Derek yelled, slapping his hand on the table. "John are you seriously telling us YOU are going to help build Sky Net?"

"NO! Listen, will you?" John yelled back. "If the government insists on Sky Net, then don't we want one that will NOT blow the world up? One we will KNOW who and where he is just in case he does go bad? Damn it Derek, we are not going to stop a Sky Net from coming on line. Delay it, yes, but we're not going to stop it."

"Have you gone over to the machines?" Jesse asked harshly.

"No, I have not," John said glaring at her. Loudly, he said, "I am trying to prevent Judgment Day. Permanently. Mom, you talk about getting ready for it. I want to stop it completely, as does Weaver. If we work together, we can do that. Do I trust Weaver completely? Of course not. Knowing what she is doing, I do want to watch her and John Henry closely. Helping to teach John Henry is the best way to do that." Taking a breath to calm himself, John said in a normal tone, "AI's are coming. That is something we can't stop. Since we can't stop it, becoming involved to ensure they are beneficial and not destructive is the only thing we can do. Or would you rather keep blowing them up until we are either caught or killed, and the original Sky Net comes on line anyway?"

Sarah stared at her son, then said, "I want to meet this Weaver and her AI."

"Where is it?" Derek asked evenly.

The look Derek had in his eyes told John he planned on destroying John Henry and Weaver of he could. "Derek, we need to watch them and teach John Henry how to be a protective entity, like Sky Net was suppose to be," he said firmly. "This may be our only chance to stop Judgment Day permanently."

"You really believe that?" Derek asked flatly.

"John, this may be an elaborate ruse to stop you and the human resistance," Sarah said firmly. She then asked, "Cameron what is Weaver?"

"T-1000 series. I do not know the exact model." Cameron told her. "Sarah, Sky Net has previously attacked John Henry to try to take control of him. I exchanged information with him. John Henry right now, is forming his opinions and personality, like any child does. If you try to do him harm and fail to destroy him, what do you think that will do to his opinions of humans? Instead of stopping it, you may help Judgment Day happen."

"We need to destroy them," Derek said firmly. "If they are gone, we can stop Judgment Day."

In a tired voice, John said, "Another will be made by someone else, and we might not be able to find it in time."

Staring at the table, Jesse said, "John is right on one point. We know where this AI is, and what it's doing. IF we can guide it to be beneficial to us and take the Sky Net role, we can stop it completely."

"If we can't?" Derek asked.

With a shrug, Jesse said, "Then we blow it up and go on to the next one."

"This is a big risk we are taking," Sarah warned.

"We are playing with the lives of billions of people," Derek stated.

"We need to think hard about this," Sarah said. Getting up, she added, "I'll start dinner."

Cameron got up and said, "I'll help."

Derek elbowed Jesse and said, "Let's take a walk." They got up and left.

John got up and decided to do some research on his laptop. Weaver's proposal was the hot topic, but they still had to find out more about her as well as if the original Sky Net was still around. Of course, there were also terminators and grays that were probably lurking around.

.

Sarah was becoming irritated. She made mashed potatoes. Cameron went behind her and added some butter, garlic and ground cloves and stirred them up again. While the meat as cooking, Cameron added spices to it and adjusted the temperature. Tin Miss could not even leave the vegetables alone.

Hand on her hip, Sarah watched Cameron inspect the veggies, then pick one out and taste it. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Helping," Cameron said, and took the veggies off the stove.

"You are changing everything I do," Sarah complained.

"Negative. I am only making it better, adding taste and visual appeal," Cameron said.

"Maybe you'd like to do the cooking?" Sarah asked in a challenge.

Cameron glanced at her. "Yes, thank you."

Sarah stormed out of the kitchen.

Looking into John's bedroom, Sarah saw him hunched over his laptop. "Find anything?" she asked as she came in.

John nodded and pointed to the newspaper article on his screen. "The Weavers were in a helicopter accident three years ago. Mr. Weaver died, Savannah, their little girl, was taken to the hospital by Mrs. Weaver with serious injuries. Somehow, Mrs. Weaver was not injured, even though she was right beside her husband during the crash."

Turning to Sarah, John said, "That makes no sense. We know the Weaver we are dealing with is a liquid metal terminator. The real Mrs. Weaver died in that crash along with her husband. There are no pictures of the wreck. Terminator Weaver is the one who took Savannah to the hospital. She hid Mrs. Weaver's body and took her shape. The only question I have is why save the little girl? I don't think that crash was an accident, so even if Savannah was still alive, why not just finish her off? Any normal terminator would leave no potential witnesses."

Sarah shrugged and said, "Maybe this terminator needed her to be legitimate?"

"I don't think so," John said in a musing tone. "Just by hiding Mrs. Weaver's body and playing the part, no one would suspect she wasn't who she claimed to be. She didn't need to save Savannah, but she did. If anything, continuing to raise Savannah makes her job harder, not easier."

"You're right, a terminator would not bother with a little girl unless it was their mission," Sarah agreed.

"This T-1000 told me she wants intelligent machines to live with, not fight with humans," John said. "It is possible, I suppose, that she saved Savannah because she didn't want Savannah to die."

Sarah didn't quite believe that. Evenly, she said, "John, it is more likely Weaver has a purpose for keeping Savannah alive and healthy. Terminators do nothing out of the kindness of their hearts. They don't have hearts."

Cameron came into the doorway. "Dinner's ready," she announced and left to go find Derek and Jesse.

.

Derek's face melted in joy as he took a bite of his steak. "Damn, Sarah, you out did yourself! This is really good!"

"It is," Jesse agreed. "Very well done, Sarah."

Sarah shot a glower at Cameron who sat next to John. John's lips were pressed together in a smirk.

"Did you read a cook book or something?" Derek asked.

"Tin Miss finished dinner," Sarah said flatly.

Derek and Jesse paused and looked at Cameron. "The metal cooks?" Jesse asked in disbelief.

"Every day, for John." Cameron stated.

Derek eyed Cameron then Sarah. "This is a joke, right?" he asked.

Sarah let out a sigh. "No joke, Derek."

"Cameron is a good cook. She's not just a one-trick pony," John said with a grin.

Cameron cast John a blank stare. "I'm not a horse, John."

John explained, "What I mean is you can do more than one thing well. Everything you do, you do well. That's what I mean."

Cameron smiled at John. "Thank you," she said. Under the table she gave his leg a rub. "I can be a horse. Did you want to play 'cowboy' later?"

Sarah hacked out the food in her mouth. Jesse just stared. Derek concentrated on the steak he was making love to.

Once Sarah recovered from her coughing fit, she barked out, "I do NOT want to hear that!"

After dinner, John said he had more research to do. Sarah got herself composed and did the dishes Cameron seemed to have forgotten. Jesse helped her. While they worked, Jesse asked, "What do you think about John's idea of working with metal?'

"I don't like it," Sarah stated. "I can see John's reasoning, if we give the government a non-genocidal Sky Net, then in theory there will be no Judgment Day. What I want is for the government to abandon the idea before it's too late. That would also prevent it."

"That would be tough, love," Jesse said. "We'd have to convince them openly that terminators do exist and giving metal any responsibility is a bad idea."

"Yeah, then get sent back to the nut house," Sarah said with a snort.

Sarah heard a door open and shut. It sounded like John's door. A clomp of boots was coming. Sarah and Jesse turned to see Cameron walk through wearing a cowboy hat, a robe and cowboy boots.

Sarah turned back to the sink. "I'm pretending I didn't see that," she said firmly and grabbed a pan to try and scrub the bottom out of it.

Jesse turned again when Cameron came back through, now holding a bullwhip and a length of rope. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I retrieved the rest of the outfit," Cameron said and continued down the hallway.

"Wow," Jesse said in wonder.

"I don't want to know," Sarah said flatly, concentrating on the sink.

"Your Tin Miss is a sexbot," Jesse said.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that either," Sarah grumbled.

.

Mr. Donovan strode though the wreckage that used to be the Sky Net project. There was still glops of foam here and there. Turning to the Air Force general with him, he said, "Whoever did this knew exactly what building to come to and exactly what to hit. You have no idea of who it was or how they got in?"

"All personnel are accounted for. None of the sensor triggers around the base were tripped, and they have all been tested to ensure they are working. No external cameras picked up anything near the base either. Whoever it was, must still be here," General Maxwell said. "We are reviewing the background of every person on the base."

Mr. Donovan said in a stern tone, "General, we were working hard to give you an edge over every other military on the planet. As you can see, someone slipped in and destroyed our work. I want to replace your military guards with mercenaries hand picked by me. The only living guard was found taped to his chair, and he didn't see who did it. Your people are unreliable."

"I will bring in more troops," The General said. "This will not happen again."

"It should have never happened at all," Donovan stated. "At least they didn't get our techs. We can still rebuild. This time, there will be no raids, I will ensure it."

"All your work was destroyed? There was no backup?" the General asked.

"All the latest work. Not the original files. That is still too much lost progress," Donovan said. "By the time we get new servers in here, I will have replaced the guard force with mercenaries. I also expect whoever did this, will return to try again. This time, I will be ready."

Tony Donovan, the head Gray, had a good idea who was responsible. Even if the Connors were alive, and hadn't died in that bank explosion, they would not have the resources to bury a mole in the military. The only other company besides Kaliba who had a working AI was Zeira. At the moment, they were the only one who had a working AI. What happened here was industrial espionage. He had sent a Terminator to kill Weaver after they found her AI on the internet. For whatever reason, it had failed. Thankfully, Zeira had yet to approach the military with their AI yet. Possibly that would be coming soon. Thus, the reason for the raid to shut him down.

He had to stop Zeira before Weaver won that contract.

.

John and Cameron visited Terminator Weaver again and spend some time with John Henry. To their surprise, John Henry had his chip in and greeted them in a basement room that had been turned into a lounge.

Looking up from his board game, John Henry put on his creepy smile and said, "Hello, John , Cameron. It is nice to see you again."

"Hello John Henry," John said and sat down across from him, Cameron taking a seat beside John. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "The game of life?"

"Yes, this is an interesting game," John Henry said, looking back at the board. "It appears it needs more than one player. Will you play with me?"

"We will," John said. "You understand the concept of this game?"

"Yes, the player who makes the most money wins."

"True, but it's the path you take, and the things that can happen along the way determine how well you will do," John explained. "All these squares you can land on is determined by the roll of the dice. Just like life, bad things can happen along the way, or good things. The decisions you make early in the game, such as going to college, hence being educated, or not, affect how well you can deal with bad things that can happen. And like life, you don't know what will happen until it does."

Studying the board, John Henry grew a smile. "Yes, Thank you John, shall we play?"

They got their pieces set and started the game. John announced he was going to take the 'non' educated route to show John Henry how that affected the outcome.

Watching John slowly loose, John Henry said, "That is why Savannah is going to school, so she can be educated and not end up in debt."

"That's right. The better prepared you are, the better you will do," John agreed.

"Will I be able to go to school?" John Henry asked.

"Not an official college like on this board. You are learning now," John explained. "The key is to keep learning."

"Yes. Mr. Ellison is teaching me, and so are you and Cameron," John Henry said. "I learn things off the internet also. Although the internet sometimes contradicts itself, depending on the site visited."

"You need to focus on hard evidence when exploring the internet, John Henry," Cameron told him as she rolled to land on a square giving her a promotion. "Anyone can make a site, and not all of them are truthful."

"That is correct. I found a site that said you and John are criminals, and you died. That is obviously not the case." John Henry agreed. "I found another that claimed you are seeking to destroy all machine life. That is not true either." He rolled to 'win' a lottery and added to his stack of money.

John rolled and ended up with a second child. He could just see the added bills for that coming soon.

The far off sound of gunfire rattled into the room. They all perked up. Cameron got up and said, "Stay here. John, protect John Henry."

John quickly looked for a place to hide as Cameron went to go see what was happening. There wasn't one, so he told John Henry, "Stand over by the door, on the hinge side."

John Henry walked over. He looked at the door and said, "When someone opens the door, they will not see me."

"That's the idea," John replied.

Cameron burst back in. "We have to go now. John Henry, do you know the layout of this building?"

"Yes. What did you want to know?"

"The fastest way out from the basement to the street without going through the first floor."

John Henry said, "There is a service opening for electricity, but it is not meant for travel."

"Is it big enough for us to get through?" John asked.

"Yes."

"Then let's go," John said.

Cameron led the three out, holding her glock. John Henry guided them to a locked panel on the wall in the server room. John shut the server room door then wedged a chair under it . At the best, it would buy them some time.

An explosion sounded, and more gunfire. It sounded far away.

Cameron pounded the plate off the wall to expose the large conduits coming down. Looking in she said, "There is enough room to go one at a time."

The door know to the room rattled. John drew a bead on the door, and whispered, "Go, hurry!"

Cameron clambered up inside. As soon as she was out of sight, John whispered, "John Henry, go!" The door rattled. Someone banged on it to open it a crack. A canister was tossed in.

John kept glancing back as John Henry disappeared from sight. The canister let out a POP and began expelling gas into the room. The instant John Henry's feet disappeared, John put his gun away and climbed in.

The pipes were large enough to get a good grip on. John hauled himself up as the hiss of gas filled the room below. More muffled gunfire sounded.

Upon seeing his head emerge, Cameron pulled John up and out. They were in an alley. A man lay prone on the ground. Instead of running out to the street, Cameron led them down the alley to come out behind a grocery store. "Wait here," she said, then tucked her gun away and went out into the parking lot. She looked around then came back.

"The van is clear. Follow me."

John kept an eye out behind the as Cameron scanned around her. They got to the van and got in. Police sirens wailed on the street. More gunfire was hard. Then a scream. It sounded like someone falling from high up.

"What is happening?" John Henry asked as he got in the second seat with John.

"Zeira is being attacked," John said. "Someone is after you."

"My brother?" John Henry asked.

"Someone sent by him," John told him.

Cameron waited a the entrance of the parking lot until the police cars passed. She drove off away from the Zeira building.

John got on his phone and called Weaver.

Instead of a greeting, Catherine asked, "John, where are you? Is John Henry safe?"

"We're out of the building and driving away. John Henry is with us. Someone is attacking the basement."

"Take John Henry to safety, I'll call you back after this is over." *click*

"Will Mrs. Weaver, Mr. Murch and Mr. Ellison be all right?" John Henry asked.

"We don't know. Mrs. Weaver will call me back after the attack is over," John told him.

Looking lost, John Henry said, "I have learned something new. Service entrances can be used for emergency escape."

"We escaped and we didn't get hurt. That's a win," John told him.

Cameron looked in the rear view mirror. "I detect no signs of being followed. I am going to drive an evasive route to be sure."

.

Agent Aldridge was called to the scene of what was thought to be a terrorist attack on Zeira corp. headquarters. Nearing the scene, the streets were filled with the flashing lights of police cars and ambulances. Out in front of the building he saw James Ellison talking to a pair of detectives. Parking half a block away, as close s he could get, he went over to them and showed his badge.

"What do we got?"

One of the detectives motioned to the side where another ambulance was filling up. "Nine dead, fourteen wounded so far. The ones who did this are lying on the foyer. Mr. Ellison here got three of them. The last two were found in the basement. "It looks like they were impaled on something, but so far, we don't know what. No weapons were down there."

"Recognize any of them?" he asked James.

James Ellison shook his head. "No. They had on chest plates, but no other protection. I can tell you they were after something, the three who were on the first floor killed anyone they came across. The other two headed for the basement to the research lab. I was lucky enough to get one, then get behind the other two and take them out."

"We got their photos, our guys are looking through mug shots now." one of the detectives said. "None of them carried any ID."

"How about car keys?" Aldridge asked.

"Nothing. No keys, wallets, only their weapons. AK 47's and one with a gas bomb. From what we found in the basement, it's an acidic gas. They were here to destroy something." the other detective said.

"Mrs. Weaver is on her way," James offered. "The only other ones who knew what was down there are Mr. Murch and Mr. Leonard, both who were killed."

"This is almost like a Sarah Connor attack," one of the detectives said.

"She never attack in broad daylight. She was an after hours terrorist," James said. "This feels like an act of desperation. I have no idea who might be behind it."

"A rival company?" Aldridge asked.

"Possible." James agreed.

"Let's hope we can get something from the mug shots and fingerprints."

.

At the warehouse, Sarah, Derek and Jesse were glued to the TV, watching the live broadcast a block away from the Zeira building when John strode in. Sarah shot to her feet and hugged John.

"Thank GOD you're all right!" Sarah cried as she held him tight.

Wincing from the tight hug, John said, "We're fine Mom."

"Hello," John Henry said, standing beside Cameron.

"Who's this?" Derek asked as he approached the group.

"His name is John Henry," Cameron explained. "He was in danger, so we brought him with us."

Jesse eyed John Henry and asked, "I thought John Henry was an AI."

"I am," John Henry said, and beamed Jesse a smile. "My friends, John Connor and Cameron Connor brought me to safety."

Sarah gaped at John Henry, then eyed her son, "What does he mean, Cameron Connor? Is there something I should know?" she asked in a near growl.

"Screw that," Derek cried, "They brought metal home with them!"

"To keep him safe," John stated. "Sky Net grays are after John Henry."

"This is our anti-Sky Net machine," Jesse said, motioning to John Henry.

"He will be. He is still learning and developing," John told her.

"Yes," John Henry said. "Today John and Cameron played a game with me called, Life. It was a good simulation to show what can happen with your plans and possible obstacles that can also occur. I got an object lesson demonstrating that when we were attacked. I had no foreknowledge that we would be attacked, which prevented us from finishing our game. The need to escape the building though a service opening was a surprise also. My friends John and Cameron are teaching me important things."

Derek and Jesse looked at each other. "He is going to be Sky Net?" Derek asked in disbelief.

"Eventually. John Henry is still learning," Cameron said.

John's phone rang. He recognized the number.

"Yes, Mrs. Weaver?"

"There has been another incident. My housemaid has been killed. Luckily, Savannah is in school. Will you keep John Henry for a few days, at the moment, I have no safe place to keep him."

"Yeah sure, He will stay with us until you are ready. How about Savannah?"

"She will be in Mr. Ellison's care and under police protection."

"I'm glad she's OK. Call me when you're ready."

*click*

John put his phone away. "She never says goodbye," he said with a smirk.

"I want to hear about why Tin Miss changed her name," Sarah stated as she stared at John.

Cameron tipped her head slightly to the side and asked, "Is it a problem I call myself Cameron Connor?"

"YES!" Sarah raged, glaring at her. "You are not married to John!"

"Phillips was a pretend name. I am with John, so I should have the same last name as him," Cameron countered.

"You're not married," Sarah growled.

"I can assist John and Cameron," John Henry piped up. "To be formally married, John and Cameron need to go to a priest. I know the locations of several."

"YOU shut up!" Sarah barked.

"Sarah Connor is not friendly," John Henry noted aloud.

John made the mistake of laughing. If looks could kill, Sarah's eyes would be throwing daggers at him. He quieted his laugh.

John Henry is right about one thing," Derek announced. "I never thought I'd be living with one metal, let alone two. So, where's he gonna stay?"

"Is there an internet connection here?" John Henry asked.

John waved a hand for John Henry to follow and said, "Come on John Henry, I'll get you set up."

"John, you are not marrying Tin Miss," Sarah stated.

On her way by Sarah, Cameron said, "John doesn't need to. I belong to him."

John Henry looked back at Cameron and asked, "Why does Sarah Connor call you 'Tin Miss'?"

"Because I am a terminator made of metal inside."

John Henry cast her a confused look and said, "Then she should call you Coltan Miss."

"Sarah is not a stickler for details."

"I understand."

.

John found John Henry a USB cord for the back og his head. And connected him to the Wifi router, setting him up in the second floor lounge in a chair at a small table in the corner. Once John Henry was set up, he got on the Jacuzzi with Cameron in their bathing suits,

One thing John was glad of was although Cameron was heavier that water, she was much lighter on his lap when they were mostly submerged. They sat in the water cuddling and petting lightly, just enjoying being together.

Looking at them, John Henry said, "I have just become a priest in the Church of Free Christians."

John looked over at him, as did Cameron. "How did you do that?" John asked.

"According to the rules, I joined the church, and since there is not a local congregation, I can form one. So, I became a priest. Since I am a priest now, I can perform a wedding ceremony," John Henry explained.

"We still need things like a marriage license and a blood test," John said. Then frowned and added, "I don't know how we can get a blood test."

"I can hack the LA city hall and issue what you need," John Henry replied.

John eyed him then looked at Cameron. Will you marry me?" he asked.

Cameron cast him a wide grin and said, "Yes, it will help keep busty blond bimbos like Riley away from you." Her grin faded as she cast him a serious gaze. "I love you and you love me. Your mother will not like it, but yes, John, I want to be with you always."

They came together in a loving kiss. As their kiss went on, John Henry announced, "Done. Cameron Phillips, will you take John Connor as your lawfully wedded Husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish until death to do part?"

Cameron broke the kiss to gaze at John. "I do," she said.

"John Connor, do you take Cameron Phillips as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish until death do you part?"

"I certainly do," John said with a big smile.

"Then by the power invested in me, by the state of California as a priest of the Church of Free Christians, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride, again."

They kissed again. John then asked, "Wait, John Henry aren't there suppose to be witnesses?"

"There are," John Henry stated.

John craned his neck around to see Derek and Jesse standing inside the door, gaping at them. He grinned and said, "My wife, Cameron."

Cameron happily announced, "Derek, Jesse, this is my Husband, John!" Snuggling back into her husband's soft embrace, Cameron said, "My husband, John." It felt so satisfying to say it, she said it again. The sun was shining down on them, the water and being snuggled up in John's arms, the day was simply perfect.

Instead of listening to the repeated, "My wife, Cameron," followed by, "My husband, John," Derek and Jesse decided to go take a walk and figure out how to tell Sarah about this.

.

Of all the flags Agent Aldridge had set out to collect clues, a surprising one came in. The flag came up from the county courthouse. A marriage license had been issued and filed for John Connor and Cameron Phillips. Looking at it, he remembered that Cameron was one of these terminators. She wasn't human, how could she get married? Who married them, Where? The listed place was at the Church of Free Christians. He'd never heard of it.

Dealing with the attack on Zeira, and the monumental lack of information they could find out, he didn't give the marriage license much more thought. He had other things to deal with.

Out of the five perps, only one had a background. Jose Chavez had been a known MS-13 gang member here in the country illegally. The other four he was still waiting for any information on. It was like they didn't exist until they showed up at the Zeira lobby with guns. One curious thing about the other four, was they had all been exposed to harmful levels of radiation. From the coroner's reports, it had been long term exposure, like they'd spent most of their lives sleeping next to a nuclear reactor, or camped close to the Chernobyl site.

The gas canisters they had were filled with an acid compound. One had been set off in the basement, badly corroding the computers in the room. The access to an electrical service way had been battered away by something heavy. Since none of the perps went in there, that meant someone had been in there and gotten out. Whoever it was tried to wedge a chair against the door to keep it shut.

His only option to find out more, was to find who'd been in there. Neither Ellison, nor Weaver claimed anyone besides a select few went into that room, and they were accounted for. Forensic had studied the exit point. They came up with nothing outside, and down inside the shaft, and evidence had been ruined by the gas. The area had been canvassed to find out if anyone saw anything.

His phone rang.

"Agent Aldridge."

"This is Patterson down in forensics. We were looking at that metal cover plate that was battered off the service conduit at Zeira. We've been looking for a tool that was used to remove that plate. This sounds odd, but by taking casts of the impressions, we found two sets of knuckle marks."

"Knuckle marks? You're saying someone punched a steel plate and bent it?"

"It had to be some kind of hammer with a head shaped like human knuckles, sir. They aren't even that big. Small female in size. No heavy tool was found in that room, let alone one that can duplicate thee marks. Whoever did it must have taken it with them."

Aldridge focused on the marriage license on his desk. Cameron Connor. "Have you checked that plate for skin samples where those marks are?"

"Sir? Ahhh no. Like I said, no human could possibly dent a steel plate with his fist, even if they did break their hand. This thing was folded and the locking mechanism was ripped off."

"Check for skin samples. Let me know if you find any residue."

"OK," Patterson said with a huff.

Twenty minutes later, Patterson called back.

"Agent Aldridge, this is weird. Under the microscope, we did find some skin cell tissue. We can try to get a DNA sample, but the tiny bit we found is contaminated."

"No need, thank you. If you could, I'd like a cast of those knuckle marks." Aldridge told him. Looking at the marriage license, he knew who was in that basement. The only slim girl strong enough to smash in a steel plate he knew of. Now, he just had to find her. He remembered seeing Cameron at Zeira. From what he was learning, those men had to have been after her. The question was, why?

Aldridge went down to get copy of that cast. Ellison knew more about that Connors than he was letting on. He was going to find out exactly what James knew.


	8. Chapter 8

CH 8

Meeting James at home, Aldridge didn't have to press James that hard when he showed the ex-FBI man the cast. He too, knew Cameron was in that basement when those men attacked.

Sitting on the couch and handling the cast of Cameron's knuckle prints, Aldridge said, "I think I know why those men used an acid gas in that room. They knew they would not stand a chance defeating Cameron in a fight, so they tossed the gas cylinder in there to make her break down. That about right?"

"I can't say for absolute certain, but yes, that makes sense. They were hoping to corrode her wiring so she couldn't fight back," James offered. "A gas though, would have to eat through her skin to get at any metal. I think if there were server racks in there, they were more likely after those. Most likely he got out whatever was important, so she didn't have to fight those men."

"So, where is she?"

This was a current criminal investigation. James Ellison knew well if he wasn't completely truthful he could be charged with obstruction. James told him what he knew, "Their stated address is Pleasant hill trailer park, number 42. I went there to ask Cameron a question for Mrs. Weaver. I waited all of one day and half of another before anyone showed up. I think they are using it only as a mailing address, and are living somewhere else."

"You saw them approach?"

"No. I saw John after he let me see him," James said. "After I got out of the car, Cameron slipped up behind me. I had no idea she was there until John told me."

"She can move silently then," Aldridge concluded. "What was the question?"

"Will you join us. I didn't know what it meant. John didn't either. Cameron went over to John and said something about Weaver wants the chip she has. I didn't hear everything, but Cameron did not looked pleased. John wanted Mrs. Weaver's number, and said he'd call her about it," James explained.

"Cameron and Mrs. Weaver are connected then," Aldridge stated.

"In some way, yes. How, and what their relationship is, I don't know. John and Cameron have come to the office a few times, but I was never allowed to stay and hear what they discussed." James said, then asked, "Want a beer?"

Aldridge chuckled and hefted the cast. "Everything about this case makes me want a beer. No thanks, I'm on duty now."

James grinned. "I'm not," he said got up and went to the kitchen. "Anything else I can get you? Coffee? A soda?"

"No thanks. I need to be moving along anyway. You said that address is 42 Pleasant Hill trailer park?"

"It is," James said, coming back out and cracking his beer can open. "I suppose you know, if you plan to talk to Cameron Phillips, you need to be very careful."

"Cameron Connor," Aldridge said, correcting him. "She and John got married."

James frowned and asked, "Is that possible? You know she's not human."

Aldridge shrugged and said, "Maybe she really 'does it' for him. Hell, it's California, so who knows?" He got up and asked, "Any idea where they might be if they aren't home?"

James pondered and said, "Knowing what little I do, if someone was after Cameron, they are in hiding someplace behind a trap they set up for someone that comes looking for them. Like I said, be very careful. Cameron is deadly when she wants to be."

Aldridge headed for the door, then stopped and asked, "Do you think John was in that basement with her?"

"Where there's one, the other is usually close by. Maybe that's why Cameron decided to flee and not kill those men," James offered.

.

Aldridge's next stop was to pick up his partner, David Ross, who was still digging through debris for evidence. They went to Pleasant Hill trailer Park and talked to the manager. All the information he had was the 'Baums' always paid their rent each month a week ahead, check by mail, he'd never had any complaints about them, and they never filed any complaints either. He wished he had more tenants like that.

Going to number 42, Aldridge noted no one had been here in a while. Besides the grass being overgrown, a peek in through the widows showed only minimal furnishings and the trash cans were completely empty.

Looking up at the roof of the tiny porch, Ross said, "We put a remote camera up there, and we will see if anyone comes by."

Aldridge eyed him and asked, "And what do we base our warrant on to get authorization? We're after a woman who escaped armed men. Cameron Connor did nothing but get away from a massacre. Why we're interested in her, is the fact she may know something about the men who attacked Zeira. It's a stretch, but so far we have nothing usable to track down who was behind it."

"We can't treat her as a hostile witness?" Ross asked.

"That's a bad idea on many levels," Aldridge told him firmly.

"He is correct." A female voice said from behind them.

Both men turned to see Cameron standing behind them. Her face was a blank mask.

"Jesus!" Ross spat. "Lady, don't sneak up on people like that!"

"Mrs. Connor," Aldridge said, recognizing her.

She turned her blank stare to him. "Yes, I am Mrs. Connor. Who are you?" she said and showed him her ring.

Aldridge show her his badge. "I'm Agent Aldridge, this is Agent Ross. I'd like to ask you a few questions about the recent attack on the Zeira corp. building." Digging in his pocket, he produced the cast and asked, "Please make a fist for me."

Cameron looked at the cast. "Yes, those are marks from my hand."

Ross eyed Aldridge, then Cameron. "You're saying you hit that plate?"

Aldridge nodded to him and asked, "Mrs. Connor, is there anything you can tell me about those men who attacked you?"

Flatly, Cameron said, "The only thing I can tell you that you would believe, and I am sure there is no substantial proof of, is they were hired directly or indirectly by a company called Kaliba. Their goal was to steal or destroy a secret project Mrs. Weaver is working on. They failed."

"Industrial espionage," Aldridge said with a nod. "I'm sure you can't say anything about what this project is. What can you tell me about Kaliba?"

"Very little. The only thing I can say for certainty is that Kaliba is building a project for the government, the Air Force. That project is flawed and has already electronically attempted to destroy Mrs. Weaver's project. If it comes into operation, it will cause massive harm to not only this country, but the entire world," Cameron explained.

"Can you prove it?" Aldridge asked.

"No. Not without evidence," Cameron stated.

"So, everything you told us is conjecture," Ross said.

Cameron stared at him. "Agent Ross, your heartbeat is 57 beats per minute, your blood pressure is 72 over 135 and rising, your body temperature is 98.9 degrees. I know this and I can tell you. I cannot prove it without the proper medical equipment."

"How do you know that?" Ross asked skeptically.

"The same way I know you have a Smith and Wesson revolver in your shoulder harness. Your glock is in your right ankle holster." she stated. "You should change them and have your primary weapon in the shoulder holster and put your revolver in your ankle holster."

Ross gaped at her. There was no way she could know how he was armed.

Cameron asked Aldridge, "Is there anything else you would like to ask me?"

Aldridge shook his head. "No. If you do find any evidence on this Kaliba, please let me know immediately." He pulled out his card and handed it to her.

Cameron took the card and looked at it. She handed it back and said, "I will. I have memorized what's on your card."

"Hold on a minute." Ross said. "You mean to tell me you memorized his card at a glance?"

"Ross," Aldridge said to get his attention. When Ross looked at him, he shook his head.

"I think she's not telling us the truth," Ross stated. "Just like that cast from that plate. Do you really believe she hit that plate with her bare fist?"

"Is there anything else?" Cameron asked flatly.

"No. Thank you for your cooperation, Mrs. Connor," Aldridge told her.

Cameron turned and moved by their car on her way out.

"There is NO WAY she could have bent that plate with her bare hand," Ross stated.

 **BOOM**

They turned to see Cameron walking away from their car. The hood on the passenger side was buckled in, the bottom of the deep dent was ripped open.

"You're paying for that one," Aldridge told Ross.

Ross went over, staring at the hole. He then turned to see Cameron walking up the road. "She… how ?" he asked.

Letting out a sigh, Aldridge said, "This is not, and cannot become common knowledge. Cameron Connor isn't human. She's a cyborg. Very strong, very fast, bullet proof, and the one person you never want to screw with."

Aldridge then motioned to the dent and said, "Make sure my new hood you buy is painted to match the car. Let's get out of here."

.

John talked with Weaver about Cameron's encounter with the FBI. Although she was skeptical at first, John convinced her that if the FBI was looking into Kaliba, that was a good thing. The FBI had resources they didn't have, or could not use effectively. It would also make it harder for Kaliba to hide what they were doing.

With the FBI looking into the raid on Zeira, John felt they had a pretty good day. To top it off, he and Cameron went down to a jewelry store to get rings since they were now married. John actually had fun looking over the selections with Cameron. The attendant was very helpful, and gave a strong hint that such a beautiful girl as Cameron needed a diamond.

In a good mood, John decided to be silly and asked for Cameron's favorite color. "Do you have purple diamond?"

The woman thought for a moment, raised her finger and walked down the counter. Looking through the glass, she said, "We do!" and opened the case.

Surprised to hear this, John moved to take a look. Cameron moved faster. They watched as she bought out a good sized diamond. It only had a slight purple tinge to it, but Cameron's eyes lit up.

Beaming a look of joy, Cameron let the lady slip it on her finger. "John, it's perfect," Cameron whispered.

"We'll take it." John assure the lady.

Cameron looked at John and said, "I want to make your ring."

"We do have yellow or white gold and platinum," the lady said and motioned to the men's rings.

"Coltan," Cameron said, casting John a loving gaze.

John got it, a Coltan ring for a Coltan wife. "Yeah, that sounds perfect." he told her.

"We don't have anything in coltan. I don't think rings come in that," the lady said cautiously.

"I will make it, for my John," Cameron said.

They paid for the diamond they left for home so Cameron could get to work on John's ring. Cameron had coltan she's salvaged for parts. Now, a piece of it was going to become special, just for her John.

All the way home, Cameron sat on the passenger side and gazed at her ring, turning her finger to make the light play off it. John had to grin at her open smile as she gazed at her ring.

"This proves I am Mrs. Cameron Connor," she said, saying the words as if tasting them.

"It does," John agreed.

Beaming her smile at him, Cameron added, "And soon, you will have proof you re Mr. John Connor."

It was an almost silly statement, but he knew what she meant. He wasn't going to spoil her happiness by saying anything except, "I love you and you love me."

.

Upon arriving home, Cameron went straight into the workshop. "Be careful of your ring!" he called before he went into the house.

"I will!"

John knew he had to get some work done today, so he went up where John Henry was on the internet. His laptop was sitting in front of John Henry, pages flashed by, then code.

"Hi John Henry," John said as he sat down.

"Hello John Connor. I was looking presence of Sky Net on the web. There has not been any. The raid you performed nay have done significant damage to my brother."

"I am hoping so. Can you get the pictures of the men who attacked Zeira?"

"Yes. I have those," John Henry said. As he talked, the men's pictures came up on the screen. "Only one was a known criminal. The police do not have a match for the others."

"I heard. Is there a way you can find them through a driver's license?" John asked. "If possible, we want to get a copy of their ID's to Agent Aldridge if possible. If the FBI is looking for them also that may help give us a lead to Kaliba."

"That is very good thinking, John," John Henry said with a creepy smile. "I shall also look at toll road camera records and store camera records as well."

"Thanks."

John knew John Henry was much faster at searching. So he decided to do some room cleaning. Not that Cameron didn't pick up his clothes, but he thought he should start helping her. He found he had a hard time finding anything out of place. There wasn't even any dust. Their bathroom was spotless too. So much for that idea. Finding his mother in the kitchen, looking in the refrigerator, he asked, "Mom? Is there anything I can help with?"

Sarah looked up at him with a questioning look. "You? Help in the kitchen?"

"Cam is busy, so if you want some help, just put me to work," he said with a grin.

Sarah stood up, eyeing him. "You're in a good mood."

John shrugged and grinned wider. "That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Tin Miss really blow your socks off or something?" she asked.

"They're already picked up," he said with his silly grin.

Sarah got out a bag of potatoes and said, "Since you want to help, peel these."

"OK."

"You need a knife and a colander," she said, and pointed to the cupboard.

John got the items out and sat down to peel. Sarah moved the garbage can over by him to put the peelings in.

Derek came in and eyed John peeling potatoes. "Domesticated already?" Derek asked as he got a beer.

John only grinned at him. "Just helping," he said.

"I take it John wants a big favor," Sarah stated. "Maybe you know what it is?" she asked Derek.

Derek held his hands up and backed away. "I don't want to be here when the bomb goes off. I'll be upstairs."

Sarah turned to John. "IS there something you want?" she pressed.

"Nope, I got everything," John assured her.

"Then why are you sucking up to me by helping make dinner?" Sarah asked.

John cast her a surprised look and said, "Mom, John Henry is looking for those men the FBI can't find. I don't have to do research, Cameron doesn't want my help, and the bedroom's clean. I just wanted to give you a hand."

Sarah sat down across from John and stared at him. John suffered through this while peeling two potatoes then said, "Mom, there is nothing I want, OK?"

"What is Tin Miss doing?" Sarah asked.

"She said she's making something for me," John said. For all his fun time today, he realized that he hadn't told his mother about getting married.

Oops.

"Ah, Mom? There is something I have to tell you, and please, don't freak out," John said.

He then realized she was probably going to freak anyway. At least he had the knife and she didn't.

"What did you get?" Sarah coaxed.

John winced. "Well, I … got Cameron a diamond … It's purple, her favorite color." Quickly he added, "We used that fake bank so it didn't really cost anything.

"You got Tin Miss an engagement ring?" Sarah asked in a higher tone.

"It's not really an engagement ring," John said quickly.

"John! WHY did you buy Tin Miss that diamond ring?" Sarah asked in a hard tone.

John was starting to be a little scared of his mother's reaction, so he said, "It was purple, and…"

"JOHN CONNOR! Answer my question!" Sarah snapped.

"Mom, it wasn't something we set out to do. But … it's done. I know I should have at least told you first. That's my bad. I didn't even …" he then winced and let out a groan and said, "Mom, I know I probably shouldn't have, but I couldn't help myself, and we're both happy with it."

"Why the ring?" Sarah asked in a demand, watching him closely.

"Ummm, yeah, the ring is really pretty …. But…." John had to tell her, but with his mother right here, he was loosing her nerve.

Cameron came in and headed for the stairs.

"CAMERON!" Sarah snapped, "Get over here!"

"I have to get something," Cameron called back and went up the stairs.

"JOHN," Sarah said, looking like fire might shoot from her eyes. "WHAT are you not telling me?"

Cameron came bouncing down the stairs with two pieces of paper. She put them down clear or the potatoes mess and took John's hand and slipped a wedding band on his finger. "Fits perfect, my Husband!" she beamed.

It was them Sarah saw the papers. One was an official Marriage license. The other was a fancier Certificate of Marriage from some church.

.

Derek was relaxing beside Jesse near the Jacuzzi when a screeching wail sounded from below.

"YOU'RE MARRIED?"

Derek took a sip of beer and said, "Knew that was coming."

.

John was braced for another assault, but it didn't come, His mother was staring at the marriage papers wide eyed, gasping in short breaths. She was also looking pale. "Mom?" he asked and got off his stool to make sure she didn't fall down.

Cameron was faster, Sarah was about to tip over. Cameron caught her. Sarah latched onto Cameron and gaped at her. "John, get a chair," Cameron told him.

John got a chair and put in behind his mother. They got Sarah, who was staring at nothing, sat down. John knelt on one side of her, Cameron on the other.

"Sarah, breathe," Cameron instructed.

Sarah gasped and turned her stare to Cameron. "You … married my son?" she asked in a squeak.

"I did," Cameron said with a big smile.

"You… took John away from me?" Sarah asked.

Cameron's smile faded. "No, Sarah. John is still your son. We are family. By getting married we only proved to everyone else we are going to be together forever. I am always going to be here for John. I am always going to be her for you too, Sarah. John and I are not going anywhere."

"Cam's right, Mom. We got married because we love each other, not to run off someplace," John offered.

"But …" Sarah said weakly. "You aren't old enough …"

"In John Henry's church, 16 is the minimum age." Cameron stated.

"I would have to sign…"

"You did," Cameron said. "I did, but it looks like your signature giving permission."

Sarah got enough breath back to say, "John Connor, this is the most devious, rebellious thing you have ever done!"

"Mom, I … we didn't mean to be. It , I mean we…"

"You got a horny attack and got married," Sarah stated. "I want it annulled!"

"No," Cameron stated. "We did not get married just to have sex. We can do that anyway. We got married to prove our devotion to each other."

"Mom, I feel bad we didn't even tell you, like I said, we were only thinking about each other. I should have told you," John said.

Sarah shook her head and muttered, "I can't believe this." Locking her eyes on John, she said, "Do you truly understand what you've done? John, you are married to a terminator! You will never have a normal life, you will never have children of your own."

At her words, Cameron's face fell back into a blank stare.

John saw Cameron's face go blank. His own face firmed up. "That was a low blow, Mom. Yeah, Cam's a terminator, I know that. There is also a thing called adoption. There are other women who can't have kids either. That does not mean I love her any less. Mom, I've made my choice. As far as having a normal life, when have I ever had that? Even if I could have a somewhat normal life, I'd want it with Cameron, no one else. I'd love to take her on a real date, and not just some mission we need to accomplish."

John held up his ring and said, "This ring here, expresses my love and devotion for Cameron, and it stays."

"John, I will get dinner," Cameron said in a flat to as she rose up.

John shot up and cupped her cheeks to make her look at him. "We will get dinner, OK?"

Cameron cast him a brief smile. "OK."

"Cam, everything is fine, I love you and you love me," John told her firmly.

Cameron nodded and put her arms around him. They hugged for a moment, again, John whispered, "Everything if fine."

"I love you and you love me," Cameron whispered in reply.

"Yes, my lovely wife."

Sarah got up and stated, "I need a beer."

Although John did feel bad that he hadn't told his mother about getting married, he was angry with her about the what she said. Reminding Cameron that she couldn't have children like that was a punch in the gut to Cameron. He saw it in her face.

Sarah wandered off with her beer. John got back to his potatoes and Cameron got the rest of dinner started. It took a while, but as they worked, John cast smiles at Cameron and finally got them in return.

He was glad about one thing, no blood was spilled.

.

Agent Aldridge had a dilemma. Rightfully, he should take himself off the case. He knew at least John Connor and Cameron Connor, two wanted fugitives, were alive. He had proof. They didn't die in a bank explosion. How they didn't he had no clue. They were inside when it blew up, and no survivors were found. Possibly John was one of the indestructible things also? That made trying to bring them in an exercise in disaster.

On the other hand, Cameron, and possibly John also, were working for Zeira corp, and had saved a secret project of Catherine Weaver. Like Sarah Connor, Cameron had told him about a malevolent AI that was going to destroy the world. Only Cameron didn't yell about some nameless threat, she laid out the government and private entities involved.

At the computer, Ross said, "Hey, we got ID's on those men who attacked Zeira," he said leaning forward.

"We do?"

"Yes, an e-mail complete with pictures, names and addresses, driver's licenses," Ross said and quickly printed the E-mail out. "Shit, even their cars with license plates, last jobs and bank account numbers."

"Who sent it?" Aldridge asked as he watched the information print out.

"The sender is blank. No IP either. Wait, on the bottom it says, "Good luck, JC."

"John Connor," they chorused. "How in the hell did he get this information?" Ross asked.

"His wife's a robot, I imagine she's an expert hacker too," Aldridge stated.

"Man, I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one," Ross grumbled. "What do we do about them?"

Watching the wealth of information spewing out of the printer, Aldridge said, "Been thinking about that. As long as they are feeding us clues, I think the best thing to do is nothing. If it ever came out that we got cyborgs running around, it would be chaos. Let's check these leads. If Mrs. Connor is right, we're going to need our bosses and Homeland Security in on this. I don't want to pull that trigger until we know for sure."

.

In the next few days, Aldridge and Ross checked on the information. They tracked down the names, talked to neighbors, looked up files. Everything sent was fact. All four men were mercenaries working for the True Guard security company and until very recently, assigned out of the country. The next day they visited True Guard security company with warrants to fish out more information.

By the records, those men were 'on leave' after their overseas tour, they had no active job on file. The executives were very helpful, the staff very courteous. Too cooperative, Aldridge thought. Especially when going through the men's work history, he found the assignment they had come back from was with a company called Kaliba.

The local head of the FBI was pleased they had found out what they did. It was theorized the men took on a freelance job when they got home that ended up being tougher than they expected. Who the men freelanced for could not be found. Case held for further evidence.

Going back to the office, Ross said, "Someone hired them."

"Got a name?" Aldridge asked. "We wouldn't know as much as we did if it wasn't for the Connors. We searched their homes, we searched their work. We got nothing to tell us who set that attack up."

"It has to be someone in direct competition with Zeira," Ross said. "I don't think sending a couple undercover guys working to be mercenaries like the front office is doing is going to be enough."

"Let's just hope our guys don't get killed," Aldridge said.

.

John got a call from Catherine Weaver to bring John Henry to a new location. Cameron drove, John sat shotgun. They had John Henry sit in the back of the van, bracketed by the tinted windows. The address they went to was a smaller office building with underground parking. John called Catherine to tell her when they were two blocks away.

Coming to the parking lot, the guard asked their names, then raise the gate. They went down in to meet Catherine and Savannah. Upon seeing them, Savannah beamed a smile and waved.

When John Henry got out, Savannah ran up and hugged him. "I've missed you, John Henry!" she announced.

John Henry now knew what a hug was, he'd seen John and Cameron do it often. "I am happy to see you, Savannah," he replied. He hugged Savannah carefully. Human children were fragile.

"John Henry, want to see my game room? We can play all kinds of games now!" Savannah beamed.

"Yes, I would like to see it," John Henry agreed. Savannah took his hand and towed him inside.

John noted the extra-thick looking entry door. "Beefed up security?" he asked.

"Of course," Catharine replied. "I want to thank you for keeping John Henry safe."

"You're welcome. Haven't found out anything about Kaliba, have you?" John asked.

Mrs. Weaver took on a stern look. "I have found some information. That facility you raided is rebuilding. They are hiring mercenaries, and instituting tighter procedures. One of my men got hired there. From what I found, their secure room was moved out of that building and into another on the west perimeter. It is also fortified and has very restricted access."

"Not good," John grumbled.

Catherine held out a flash drive to him. "Everything I learned is here on this. Perhaps you can figure out a way to slow them down. I am in talks with the Air Force, but like all government agencies, it is a slow process."

"Any chance of hacking?" John asked.

"From what I understand, they are going to keep their projects on a stand alone system. No connection to get into."

John looked at Cameron and asked, "Think the tunnel might work again?"

"Negative John. I am sure that is also been reinforced for security," she said flatly.

"We'll think of something," John said with a huff. "Let us know if you find something new," he told Catherine. With a wave, he and Cameron left.

.

Getting back home, John thought a spy was just what they needed. He hooked up the flash drive. It was all pictures of buildings and notes. He did get a good layout of the place. As he looked through the data, Cameron drew a map of the layout, including the tunnel they knew was there. They did mark the 'computer lab' in the basement of the most westerly building. They also noted it was a restricted area, accessed only though a heavy steel door. To get to that door, three other reinforced checkpoints had to be gotten through.

"Air shaft access maybe?" John asked, trying to figure out a way in.

"I am sure that possibility was considered in the new design," Cameron said as she completed her drawing showing the dual external walls, and the cleared area fifty yards beyond the walls.

"We need help," John decided.

Although his mother was still angry he'd married Cameron, she did want to see what this facility was. Grouping around the kitchen table, they all listened as Cameron laid out the defenses and the location of the Computer Lab.

"Where did you get this?" Sarah asked.

"Catherine Weaver has a spy up there," John explained. "We added the tunnel, we know where that is."

Derek eyed the layout and shook his head. "Coming in from the outside won't work. That place is a fortress."

Frowning heavily at it, Jesse asked, "Where do the techs stay at night?"

"According to the information we have, right in that building," John said. "Where in the building, we don't know."

"Why do you want to know?" Sarah asked.

Jesse shrugged and said, "If we can't kill the project, kill the techs so they can't work on it."

"I'd like to avoid that option," Sarah said heavily.

"This is war, love. We stop it, or billions die," Jesse retorted.

"What about getting someone inside?" Derek asked.

John shook his head. "Weaver already has that covered. That's how we got this information."

"John," Derek said firmly. "We try to get in there, and we will be caught. Most likely shot down from fixed positions with good fields of fire. I'm sure there will be plenty of mercs there to surround us. Unless we have an army, we're not getting in from the outside."

John looked at the map in thought and asked, "Derek, if you had to defend this position, where would you put your men? What attacks would you guard against?"

Derek pointed as he talked, "Around the perimeter, cameras, which is shown, guard posts, say a few patrols outside the perimeter. The dual gate with reinforcement to prevent gate crashers, Inside that building will be a fort within a fort. If they haven't reinforced the walls and entryways, I'd be shocked. Basically, everything to keep out hostile road traffic and attempted penetrations from anywhere around the perimeter."

John nodded slowly. "Rifle and snipers? Maybe a machine gun or two?"

"That's right." Derek agreed.

John looked at Cameron and asked, "Do we have shells that can blow through roofing?"

Cameron understood John's plan, attack from a distance. "More velocity is needed, but we can make penetrating rounds to explode inside," she said. "A higher and longer arc, and we can drop then inside that facility with fair accuracy from this hilltop on the northwest. Each floor penetrated will severely weaken the roof and floor above, as well as the floor below. There will be no need to get inside, and we will have time to retreat before they can get anyone up there to stop us."

Jesse let out a snort and said, "Leave it to the metal to want an artillery attack."

"They won't be expecting it," John said.

"No, they won't," Derek agreed.

"We'll plan it out. The route we take, how we set up to slow down any attempt to stop us, and our way out," John said firmly. "We don't move until we find out if Weaver wins or loose that contract."

"I will get started designing what we need," Cameron said, and got up. She kissed John on the cheek and left.

John picked the map up and said, "I'm going to Goggle the area. We have to have a route to get out bulldozer up there."

"Without being seen or heard," Derek added.

"Yeah," John agreed in a huff.

"We'll help," Sarah told John.

.

The area right around the facility that didn't show up on the Goggle map was all woodland. Most of it was state land. 4 wheeler trails and walking trails crisscrossed though the whole area. John figured night time was best time to go. Cameron didn't need lights to see, so she'd have to drive.

The problem was getting into that area. From where the warehouse was, they would have to get out of town, then cross two highways. How to do that and not be noticed was going to be hard. Anyone who saw an armored vehicle with a canon mounted on it was sure to call 911 immediately. They would probably take videos of it with their cell phones too.

Sarah wanted to make a diversion. Set up an accident in the road to stop people before their crossing points. That would also mean there would have to be four separate accidents at the right time that completely blocked the roads.

John was for just waiting until there was no traffic, and crossing the roads.

Derek was for 'going for broke' and just get there, then abandoning the dozer/tank after they were done. John thought this was the worst idea. For when it was found, their fingerprints were all over the inside of it.

Jesse favored Cameron driving it into the building, then blowing it all up together.

John liked her idea even less. He also realized that getting there was going to be the hardest part of this operation.

Taking a break from how to move their multi-ton monster across roads, John went to see how Cameron was doing. He found her sitting at the workbench in the shop, going over her own copy of the map.

"I hope you're having better luck that we did," he said as he came up and draped an arm around her.

Cameron pointed to the hilltop. "From here, the range to the center top of that building is 2,593 feet. Currently, the ammunition we have can travel only 320 feet. Even with a rocket boost, which will give away our position, the rounds will have to be 3.59 feet long, and be loaded from the muzzle. That will be slow. Realistically, we will only get three shots at that four story building. Even if every one penetrates one floor, we will not get to the basement before they react and we are forced to fight them."

John winced. "That's not good. Can we up the launch pressure with gun powder?" he asked.

"The launch tube is not strong enough to withstand that much pressure," Cameron explained. "Given common construction practices, a standard RPG it also inadequate."

John frowned in thought. "Giving us away is the real problem, right? Can you … I don't know, time the rocket to light off after it's launched? Use that 300 feet of travel to get it up and away from us?" he asked.

"Vertically, the proper length round will only travel sixty feet of so. That would not be enough to hide the launch point." Cameron said. She them clasped John's hand on her shoulder and moved him to stand behind her. She leaned her head back against him, pulled the neck of her shirt out and tucked his hand down onto her breast. "John, we need a new plan."

Getting there was going to be hard, and once they got there, they had no way to effectively bomb the place. "Yeah," he said heavily and gently massaged her breast. "It's looks like we're going to need something like a mortar to lob bombs onto that building."

He put his other arm around her, clasped her free hand and kissed the top of her head.

"A mortar would work," Cameron said vacantly. "Small and portable, and there is no fire trail. Constructing one will not be hard, and making the ammunition is fairly easy. We can also stay hidden on the back side of the mountain so they will not know which direction the attack is coming from."

"We can move them on ATV's, so we won't need to hide being out on ATV trails," John said. He kissed her head again and added, "Good thinking, my lovely wife."

Cameron tipped her head up. They kissed. Cameron looked at John and said, "It is getting late and my processes are anticipating sex."

John cast her a wide grin. "So are mine. The serious work is done for the night."


	9. Chapter 9

CH 9

"AHHH CHOO!" John recoiled from the sneeze. It felt like he'd just tried to blow his lungs out. Going into the bathroom, he blew his nose. That helped clear his nose, but didn't do anything for whatever was running down the back of his throat. He'd felt a little under the weather yesterday, but this morning he felt horrible. He also noticed Cameron wasn't here when he woke up. Somehow, that made him feel a little bit worse. At first, John figured she didn't want to get sick too. Thinking about that, he realized she couldn't get sick, could she? Normally, Cameron made it a point to finish her patrol or whatever she was doing to return to bed and be there when he woke up in the morning.

John was headed back for the warmth of the bed when Cameron strode in. She set what looked like an air cleaner on the floor, then came over to him and guided him back to bed. "You don't feel good," she told him.

John let out a dry chuckle from her stating the obvious. "And it sucks," he said.

"Lay down, I'll nurse you back to health," Cameron said firmly. She got him laid down and covered back up. She then shrugged her shirt and bra off and laid beside him, bringing her chest up level with his head.

"Cam? What are you doing?" he asked. He noted her breasts had gotten bigger.

"I'm going to nurse you back to health," she explained.

John grinned and said, "Cam, that's not what 'nursing' someone back to health means."

Cameron cast him her blank gaze. "John, I have ingested an adequate supply of vitamins, mild narcotics and nutrients to effectively treat your bacterial infection and routed them into my mammary glands for easy and pleasant consumption. Of course, if you would rather take pills and cough medicine, I can always go get those."

John stared at her. "You can do that?"

Leaning up beside John, Cameron took his head and planted his lips on a nipple. "You tell me."

John suckled. He also tasted a warm liquid flow into his mouth. He suckled more.

Yum.

"Take you medicine, John," Cameron said softly and kissed the top of his head.

John put an arm around her and did as she asked. For some reason, his medicine tasted really good for a change.

Cameron lay cradling John's head as he nursed on her, reveling in the sensations. Nursing her Husband was awesome! A daytime woman's talk show had talked about how 'fulfilling' it was to nurse your own baby. With John getting sick, which Cameron knew it was happening before John did, she knew he didn't take medicine well. She decided to try nursing her husband.

Along with the medicine and nutrients, Cameron had added nanites into the 'milk' mix. These weren't the normal flesh repairing nanites, but 'builder' nanites to make a nanite producing sack on the underside of John's stomach. Since John was human, Cameron knew he was going to injure easily and in time, his body would slowly break down.

Having his own supply of nanites would prevent that. Joints that normally would wear out would constantly be repaired. Arteries that may harden or clog would remain clear and in good repair. With nanites in his system, John would bleed much less due to nanites rushing to plug the gap. He would heal much faster and any microbes that again attempted to invade his system would be caught by the nanites that became part of his immune system. Her John would remain young and healthy for a very long time to come. Which also meant they would be together longer.

Cameron felt her right breast slowly shrink as John drew out his medicine. Besides the sweet sensations of John nursing on her, she also felt the 'fulfilling' feeling of feeding John from her own body, just like those women had talked about. It made her feel good, like a real woman, to supply nutrition to her love. Yes, breastfeeding was awesome.

Too bad John wasn't feeling well. Sex right now would be perfect. Then again, that caused her to overload. She didn't want to miss one minute of John taking his nourishment.

A knock came at the door.

"I'm nursing John back to health," Cameron announced, and held John in place.

Sarah peeked her head in, blushed and withdrew. "Tin Miss, that is NOT how to nurse someone back to health! John needs medicine!"

John spun to gape at his mother. "MOM!" he cried.

Cameron turned him back to plant him into her left breast and said, "Medicine first." She pulled the covers up to shield what John was doing then called out to Sarah, "John is getting his medicine and some nutrition. I filled my breasts with."

"You are a pervert!" Sarah shouted.

Cameron thought about it, then said, "Yes, and I enjoy being a pervert. You should try it."

Sarah closed the door hard.

John chuckled. Leaning up, he kissed Cameron and said, "I, for one, am glad you're a pervert."

"Only for you," Cameron said softly and kissed him again. "Now, finish your medicine."

"Yes, dear."

.

Flustered, Sarah went upstairs trying to get the vision of John nursing on Cameron out of her head. It seemed Tin Miss had become obsessed with sex. Part of her wanted to know how Cameron had gotten cold medicine into her breasts. The other part of her didn't want to know. Tin Miss just had to make taking care of a sick John into something sexual. It was a damn good thing Tin Miss couldn't get pregnant. Sarah would loose her mind with a bunch of tin-kids running around.

That thought stopped Sarah in her tracks. Being a machine, Cameron could not get pregnant ... right?

.

Catherine Weaver left her meeting with the Air Force Procurement Officer. According to him, they were not looking for a true AI. She still put in a bid for a 'computerized defense network' prototype, that was ready for testing. Upon leaving, she picked up the little silver spider she's released to look through their files while she was meeting with the General.

The spider had found a 'digital needs' supplier. The company was Kaliba, and the man in charge of Operations as Tony Donovan. She noted the address of his office and the fact that the product was going to be transmitted digitally over a cable line. She even had the origin and destination IP's and the access codes for the destination IP. It was now possible to get John Henry into the Air Force IP and block Sky Net from being transmitted into the military network. John Henry would become their Sky Net. She drove back to her high security office to get John Henry working on it as soon as possible.

John Henry now had multiple monitors in his server room. The cable that ran from the back of his neck to the servers behind him was now so he could use the server equipment to get onto the net and not risk himself. Through quad buffers, he set up firewalls to filter what he received. His brother was not going to get a chance to take him over again.

Mrs. Weaver walked in. "John Henry, I have information for you," she said as she walked over to an input terminal.

"I am ready, Mrs. Weaver."

Weaver formed a plug on her index finger and connected. Seeing it was Mrs. Weaver, John Henry bypassed the firewalls and read the information Catherine provided.

"You have found the location of Sky Net, and where it is to go," John Henry said.

"Yes. It is not online. It will be transmitted from the first IP to the second. I need you to become the 'Sky Net', on the second IP, and block the original out," Weaver told him.

John Henry pinged the second IP and smiled. "The codes are correct. I am in. I am changing the access code. I also an giving my IP as the only authorized connection in the base program. Manual input to the root program is disabled, access codes and root keys for the system are being printed out." John Henry then tipped his head slightly. "Mrs. Weaver, I have a question. This system is not very advanced. I need to improve it to provide adequate security. Doing so may raise suspicions to the operators on the system. Shall I improve the system or not?"

Mrs. Weaver pondered the question, then said, "Make a system announcement to the operators. Give them a day and time there will be system maintenance, then use that time to make improvements to the system. I doubt anyone will question the changes."

"Yes, that is a suitable solution. I shall do that," John Henry said.

Mrs. Weaver turned to leave. John Henry stiffened. "I have been expelled from the system," he announced.

"Did you detect a hack attempt?" Catherine asked.

"Yes, two of my buffers were overridden. Attempting to make changes in that system caused a sleeper program to activate," John Henry explained. "I countered with a stream of requests for service to lock up the system, and it disconnected. I cannot reconnect. It must have been an advanced security program. I detected nothing until it activated."

"That means at least part of Sky Net is already in place," Catherine said, not happy about that. That also meant they were not going to be able to digitally defeat Sky Net. It would have to be physically destroyed before it got uploaded.

.

Cameron's attentions and nursing John to health did help him recover quickly. The next morning, John was feeling great. Maybe it was his nurse, but he felt fantastic. Seeing Cameron's enlarged breasts was easy on the eyes also. They did feel and taste great. After a round of 'we really need to' sex, John made sure he'd drained both her breasts as Cameron rebooted from her overload. When she had overloaded out, she did so with a look of bliss on her face.

They took a shower together, got dressed, then headed out to keep working at their projects. Going to the kitchen first, Cameron asked, "John, what would you like to drink later?"

John shrugged and asked, "Do we have any Mountain Dew?"

Cameron opened the refrigerator. She saw two bottles. She pulled them out, uncapped them and guzzled one then the other. Watching, John frowned at her.

"Why did you do that?" he asked. He just told he wanted at least one of them.

Cameron let out a long belch, and said, "I am refilling. In an hour my mammary glands will be full again."

John chuckled and shook his head. "I take it you really like nursing me?"

"Yes. I will also ensure your refreshment does not get warm from sitting out," Cameron said, wearing a tiny smirk.

John swore he could see her breasts starting to fill out again. John gathered her in his arms and said, "You, my lovely wife, are truly amazing."

Almost in unison, they said, "I love you and you love me." They kissed deeply.

"All right, not out here!" Derek grumbled as he came in, shielding his eyes. "Get your metal tail in your room."

Cameron cast him a blank look and said, "I don't have a tail."

Derek grumbled at her and went on his way.

Heading out to the workshop, John got a call from Mrs. Weaver.

"Hello?"

"John, Sky Net has a security program already in the military computer system. It will not take any changes except for one from Sky Net. Stopping Sky Net digitally will not work. The source must be destroyed before it can upload."

John let out a huff. "We're working on it. Do you have an estimated time when it will upload?"

"I do not. I highly recommend acting as soon as possible."

"That's best," he agreed. "Can you come here so we can put our heads together?"

"I will. Is there anything I need to bring?"

"Not over the phone. I will have Cameron contact John Henry with the details."

"I will be waiting." *click*

Seeing Cameron watching him, John said, "Weaver can't get John Henry into the military system. We need to take Sky Net out physically."

"I will contact John Henry," Cameron stated. "We are going to need much more material. Since we must destroy it, that facility needs to be completely destroyed. Every building, every person. Nothing can be left to restart building Sky Net."

.

Cameron used the laptop to talk to John Henry while John worked at the cases for the six inch diameter, two foot long mortar shells. The last of the raw pig fat they had was in a pot, boiling on the workshop stove to break it down and get the glycerin out of it. So far, They had two mortar tubes on base plates, with adjusting rods to change the elevation. Of mortars, there were two finished mortars and six more exterior shell casings that had pointed heads and impact timers, but still needed explosives and rocket propellant to make them functional.

John knew six would be enough, especially if they had to destroy every building. This was not going to be a raid, in quick and silent, do damage then slip back out. There were five buildings up there, and who knew how many mercenaries ready and waiting behind reinforced positions. It was going to be a full scale attack against armed forces. A knock-down drag-out fight to the end. When they went up there, they had to have a solid plan. If Weaver came, that would give them six against the Merc army. Having two terminators and the bulldozer tank gave them an edge. He just hoped it was going to be enough of an edge to counter the numbers of professional soldiers they were going to face.

Cameron was also thinking about their odds as she communicated with John Henry. John Henry was able to silence any alarms and calls for help from or in that facility. He could also cut external power. His effectiveness inside the facility was only to take out the wired security system, exterior cameras and wired communications.

John Henry did find an ammunition dump the Army had some good weapons stored in it not far to the east of the warehouse in the desert. Although John Henry didn't have an inventory, he did know it was cold war era munitions. It was also classified, 'outdated'. John Henry deleted it from the army's files.

Another thing Cameron arraigned with John Henry was transportation. A flatbed tractor and trailer for a bulldozer/tank and a long box moving truck. In Weaver's 'projects', John Henry found prototypes for an attack drone. The small jet looking drones flew high and quiet, and could deliver a 2 pound load of explosives straight down on top of a target, or fly down to ram into whatever the target was. The drones were controlled by radio signals John Henry was able to control.

Before they made any more of their own mortars, Cameron wanted to go see what this army ammo dump had to offer.

.

After John had his lunch and got all he wanted to drink from Cameron, they took the dozer out with Sarah, Derek and Jesse riding on the outside and went to take a look at this army depot. Approaching, they saw the 'keep out' signs and the rusted chain link fences. There were no cameras nor activity in sight, so John just ran over the fence and rolled up to the doors of a rounded bunker. The high security padlock that had to be 50 years old was easily broken off by Cameron. Turning their flashlights on, they went into find racks of munitions and a long row of jeeps and trucks down the center of the building.

Derek drooled at the towed guns parked along one wall. 155MM artillery pieces. "These would do some damage," he said as she scanned the line.

"Over here!" John cried, shining his light on a rack of mortars. They were 4 inch mortars, and on the rack above were 4 inch mortar rounds.

"We need easily carried items," Sarah announced. "Mortars, hand grenades, explosive charges."

Jesse opened the gas cap on one of the trucks. "No petrol," she announced. She then looked on a nearby rack. Machine guns!

They found both 30 and 50 caliber machine guns. Towards the back were 20mm machine guns. For ammunition, they found boxes of 30 and 50 caliber belts, but no 20mm ammo.

John called out, "Derek, get what you need to set up a fire suppression position to keep anyone away from the mortar launchers. It will be you and Jesse."

Sarah said, "You'll need two of those positions, John. I'll take one."

"Weaver is coming with us," Cameron told them.

Derek called, "Forget the heavy stuff! get the 30 cals, and all the boxed ammo we can carry, and two crates of frag grenades. John, will that beast of yours outside tow a truck?"

"Sure will," John stated.

"Then find a chain. These trucks won't run, but we can tow this first one out. Fill the back with what we need," Derek instructed.

John went out and turned the dozer around. Sarah came out and helped him back up into the doors. Jesse found a tow chain. Cameron and Derek were loading the back of the truck with mortars and machine guns. By the time Jesse and Sarah had the truck hooked to the dozer, Cameron had three mortar tubes and four boxes of 4 inch mortars in the truck, along with four machine guns and a pile of 30 cal ammunition boxes, and two crates of grenades.

John drove out slow, pulling the truck behind him. Once they were clear, Cameron shut the doors and put the broken lock back in place. Sarah got on the outside of the dozer to watch the truck. Derek steered the truck, Jesse beside him. They headed for a dry wash canyon they'd found along the way. There was no effective way to hide their tracks, so John took the low ground back to the warehouse.

One of the things Cameron looked at was fitting a machine gun above John's driving seat on the dozer/tank. With a full box of ammo, he'd have something to fight with if the need arose. He wouldn't be very accurate, but he would be able to hose down and area or a group of men. It would be an addition to their defensive fire, and if they went down into that facility, like she deduced they might have to, it would be essential.

Weaver had arrived shortly after they did. They all stopped work to get together and plan the attack. Looking over what they had to work with, and what they faced, Weaver said, "We must keep the defenders confused for as long as possible. When we strike it must be all at once."

Derek pointed to the gates. "The most likely place an attack would normally come from is the entrance. If the mortars are coming from this mountain to the northeast, then we have to make a diversion at their gate to draw the mercs that way. It will slow their reaction time to the real threat."

"Four inch mortars are not very penetrating," Sarah said. "I think Tin Miss needs to finish those mortars she's working on. She's making those specifically to penatrate this building."

"I can help her with that," Catherine said.

"So, who's going to attack the front gate and take the initial abuse?" Jesse asked. Jerking a thumb at the dozer/tank, she added, "That thing would be perfect for that job."

"That will be more than adequate to raise chaos and get their attention," Cameron agreed.

John had thought their dozer would be up on the hill. Then again, what they were saying made sense. "From there, we can also direct mortar fire. We also need two machine gun teams and the mortar launchers."

"If I may," Catherine said. "Derek on the right, up here, Jesse in the middle, and Sarah on the left near the top of this mountain. That should keep any forces away from us. Given time to set up, I can operate the mortars and spot my own shots from behind the peak."

Derek eyed the group. "Eventually we have to go in there, don't we?"

"We do," John admitted. "This building here to the left of the gate has a service tunnel coming up from down by the road. There's an access plate not far off the road. That is a possible escape route."

Catherine eyed John. "The wire communications most likely runs through that. It will need to be destroyed to prevent uploading."

"We can do that on our way to the facility," Cameron stated. "That will also cut their power and warn them we are coming."

"A timed charge," John said. "We know where the access is, we used it to get in the first time. What we don't know, is if they figured out we used it."

"I will ask John Henry," Cameron stated. "If they are monitoring the tunnel, he should be able to find out." She turned to go over to John's laptop.

"I am asking John Henry for that information now," Catherine stated.

"OK, we pound down the buildings with mortar fire and kill a bunch of mercs, then what?" Derek asked. "We march in and finish off everyone else?"

Catherine said. "We make sure there are no survivors."

John winced. "We have to do that, huh?"

Sarah shook her head and said, "I wish we didn't have to do that."

"If we don't then Sky Net may rise once again," Jesse stated. "We need to make sure nothing there survives."

John motioned to the map and said, "We're going to be making a ton of noise. Someone is sure to call for help. Unless we block the roads, we're going to be fighting police, and maybe the military if we stay very long."

"The area is isolated. The chances of intervention within the first fifteen minutes is 33.5 percent," Cameron stated. "It rises significantly after that"

"John, you and Cameron will be by the gate. How fast does that thing of your move?" Derek asked.

"49. 5 miles an hour over level ground," Cameron replied.

"Then after ten minutes, crash the gate and drive through the facility, no matter what is happening," Derek said firmly. "Head straight for the valley back here. Punch through the barrier walls and keep on going until you get to these trails on the far side."

"And leave everyone else?" John asked.

"Yes," Sarah said firmly. "We can't risk you any more than we must."

"Agreed," Catherine said. "By that time, we will be well on our way of destroying that place. If we can't stop Sky Net here, we are going to need you, John Connor." She paused and said, "John Henry detects no evidence that your entry into that tunnel has been found. It will be safe to plant a large explosive charge there."

"We have a good plan," John said. "Now, what can possibly happen to screw it up?"

.

Once their plans were finished, Catherine and Jesse worked at finishing the six inch mortar rounds, Cameron and John worked at giving John a periscope and mounting a 30 cal above him on a turntable mount with elevation so he could aim and fire the machine gun and not expose himself. The only drawback was he had one 1000 round box of ammo. To load another meant getting out and exchanging the box then reloaded the first round in the new belt. Derek and Sarah used all the C-4 they had, two bags of fertilizer, one box of grenades and all the small steel pieces they could find to fill an empty barrel for the explosive charge to take out the tunnel. John was sure that would be enough to take out any pipes or conduits in that tunnel, we well as anything around it.

Cutting power to the facility by blowing the barrel charge was going to be the signal to start.

.

It was early morning when Cameron was satisfied with the machine gun addition to the dozer. Sitting in his seat, John had a joystick control to move and aim by. The wide angle periscope that looked through the gun sights also gave him more visibility. He could pan it to either side and up and down. The only thing he couldn't look at was directly behind them. If the armor protecting the gun worked, he'd be able to cause mass havoc with this thing.

"John, the gun is suitable?" Cameron asked from outside his hatch.

"Yeah, this is great, Cam," he agreed.

Cameron stuck her hand out to him. "Then it's time for bed. You need your rest after you have your drink and we have sex."

John grew a grin. That was logic he couldn't argue with. "Agreed, my lovely wife," he said.

.

Cameron noted that her breasts had stretched out, so now when they were empty, the larger mammary sacks hung lower. That did not please her, though John didn't seem to mind in the slightest. In the early morning, she drank some water just to fill them up and get them more rounded. Her bras didn't fit any more either, so she went without until she could get some new ones.

Before anyone else got up, she took Derek's truck and loaded two 55 gallon barrels in the back, then went down to a gas station that was closed, but the pumps were available for use by credit card. Using her fake bank, she filed both barrels and drove back. OK, maybe she should have filled Derek's truck too. It was just above empty when she got back into the warehouse.

One barrel filled the dozer. The other, she filed Derek's truck, then tied the still mostly full barrel onto the back of the dozer. She made sure the dozer's ammo racks were full, and the mortars and machine gins were ready to go.

John was still asleep when she went back in the house. Sarah had gotten up and was hunched over her morning coffee. Seeing her, Cameron said, "Sarah, you don't have to be up until noon. You should rest while you can."

"Habit," Sarah replied, glancing at her. "And put a bra on."

"Mine are too small now. I need to buy new ones," Cameron told her.

"We ready to go?" Sarah asked as she combed her fingers though her hair.

"Yes. Everything is waiting to be loaded."

"Let John sleep until we're ready."

Cameron tipped her head slightly to the side. "That is my plan. I will also have lunches ready. We will be out most of the night."

.

Two trucks arrived at noon. A tractor and heavy equipment trailer and a moving van came, with another car. As instructed, the truck drivers left the keys in the trucks, got on the car and left. After they left, Cameron opened the warehouse doors. Jesse and Sarah went over to the moving van and opened the back. Inside were four ATV's with trailers attached. They got the loading ramp down and moved the ATV's into the warehouse. Cameron got on the tractor trailer and backed it inside.

Once they got the dozer up onto the heavy equipment trailer and covered with a canvas, Cameron put their tunnel bomb on the front of the trailer and tied it down. Then they loaded the ATV trailers with equipment. Two trailers were loaded down with machine guns and ammo. A third was loaded with three mortars, the two 4 inch and the six inch, along with a crate of rounds.. The fourth was loaded with the all the rest of the mortar rounds.

.

Mrs. Weaver waited at the equipment rental place for the drivers to return. When they came in she offered them a smile. "Thank you for delivering the trucks."

"You're welcome, Ma'am. We get our reward now?"

"Indeed you do," she said firmly. Bringing up both arms she shot her spikes out and skewered them through the heart. She then took the shape of one and walked out.

.

Cameron fixed a dinner type afternoon lunch to fill everyone up. This would be their last meal for the day. Right after their early dinner, Mrs. Weaver arrived. Sitting together, they went over the plans and timing one last time so everyone knew what was to happen when.

Sarah, Derek and Jesse got in the front seat of the moving van. Mrs. Weaver got in the back with the ATV's. Cameron closed the rear door and signaled to Derek. He drove off. Cameron the pulled the tractor trailer out of the warehouse. John closed and locked the doors, then got into the passenger side.

As Cameron drove them out onto the road, she noticed John smiling at her.

"You bounce nice," he said with a grin.

Cameron returned his smile and replied with, "I'll try to hit plenty of pot holes."

.

Derek drove the moving van up to the dirt road Cameron had showed them. Pulling over, he nodded to Jesse. They got out and ran to the back and let Catherine out . They got the ATV's unloaded. Sarah, Derek and Jesse mounted up on theirs and went down the trail. Catherine stood by the road and took a man's form.

Ten minute later, Cameron came by with her truck and stopped. Catherine got on the trailer. Cameron moved on to where the tunnel access was, Catherine got off with the barrel charge and went into the woods to plant it.

Walking up to the cover that still had a broken lock on it, Catherine removed the cover, starched her arms out to lower the barrel into place, then puled the antenna back up. She fitted the the end through a hole in the cover and put the cover back in place, then ran to go get her own ATV moving down the trail.

.

Coming to the access road to the facility, Cameron pulled over off the side of the road, using the trailer to block the access road. Cameron shut the truck off then reached up under the dash and pulled the ignition wires out. She and John locked the doors on their way out, Cameron threw the keys off into the woods. They pulled the Canvas off the dozer. John climbed in and got it started as Cameron flattened all the right side tires on the rig by pulling the valve stems out. No one was moving that rig very quickly, and as it sat, there was no way around it to get up the road.

John got the dozer off the side of the trailer that was now level with the ground. He stopped and got out to let Cameron climb into the driver's seat. It was getting dark, as planned. He got into the top, and checked that air pressure as they headed up the road. It was a little low, so he ran the air compressor to make sure it was maxed.

Cameron drove up to the last rise before coming onto the level ground of the facility. She climbed up and stood on the top of the dozer. She could just see the top of the barrier around the facility. She got the range to target.

"We set?" John asked, sticking his head out of the hatch.

"We are in position," Cameron informed him. She then sat down and motioned him to stand up on her seat. Cupping his face, she said, "You need a drink before we get set."

"We brought drinks?" he asked.

Cameron opened her shirt. "One for now, one for later," she said with a grin.

"Sweetheart, I love how you think," John said, and kissed her before he cupped a breast and had his drink.

.

John had time to all but drain her left breast before Cameron's internal timer ran out. "Everyone should be in position, John. We need to get in position as well," She said, petting his hair.

John got up and gave Cameron a long kiss. "Right, let's do this," he said and got down into his driver's seat.

Both inside, Cameron said, "Raise up just high enough so you can see the gates when we get the signal."

"I got it," he replied, and set himself to go.

The signal was not subtle. If the tremendous explosion and trembling in the ground didn't clue him, then the orange flash off the landscape did. John moved forward until he could see the gates and guard houses to either side. He stopped and grabbed the joystick, aimed at the left side guard house and squeezed the trigger. The machine gun above him rattled out a stream of rounds to rip into the guardhouse. He turned the joystick and ripped into the one on the right. The vehicle parked nearby exploded as Cameron's first round landed on it.

The attack had begun.


	10. Chapter 10

CH 10

Just behind the crest of the mountain, a strange silver being stood behind three mortars with several open boxes of rounds. The thin body stood on thin legs and sported six arms. The neck stretched out to a tree just up hill to snake it's way to the top, the small head that looked like a pair of binoculars looked out from the treetop and down the side of the mountain to the facility below. With infrared, it saw every building and the few people walking the perimeter.

Three of the thin arms were holding mortar rounds at the open muzzle of the launchers, waiting for the signal. The other three arms were holding more mortars in mid air.

In the distance a flash of orange light followed by the rise of a fireball that flared into a small mushroom cloud signaled it was time to start. Catherine Weaver watched the main gate. Tracers sped through the gate, then a bomb hit, blowing the guards up. More tracers raced though and from a building close to the gate, armed men poured out to fight the threat. She let them approach the gate, then dropped the larger mortar round into the tube, then dropped in the ones to each side. Another pack of armed men from the south building spilled out and ran towards the battle.

 **FHOOM Fhoom Fhoom**

Three more immediately were positioned over the launchers as the empty hands grabbed three more rounds.

Watching the light path, The first long six inch round flew high and came down to strike the top corner of the target building. The round disappeared, an instant later a corner exploded out, blasting high speed debris. Every window on the top floor exploded out. A mortar dropped down between the east perimeter walls, killing a patrol and making the interior wall buckle. The third mortar landed in a parking lot, blasting a few cars apart and setting fire to the debris from spilled gasoline.

Adjusting aim slightly, three more rounds shot out, and three more rounds were set to drop into the tube.

This time, the six inch mortar hit the target center roof. Weaver kept up the bombardment, the mortar rounds exploded deeper and deeper into the building in a constant rain. From her six arms rapidly feeding the mortar tubes. From her vantage point, she could see the entry gateway was on fire. Cameron's shorts were reducing the gates and the gate houses to rubble. Men inside one of the buildings ran out to fight the threat. Some were knocked down by machine gun fire. Others took cover and fired back. A couple grenades were lobbed out past the gates to explode harmlessly. The incoming bomb that sailed in blasted a 30 foot circle clear of men.

The perimeter walls that had guarded those in the facility now became a trap as Weaver shot her mortar rounds as fast as she could load them, and Cameron's bombs also started working on the first building, tearing chunks out of it. The target building where Sky Net was housed, was now just a hollow box framing. Another round collapsed three of the four walls. Methodically, Catherine worked at destroying the targets.

.

John shot at anything he even thought was moving. Using short bursts and the back flash of explosions and fires to aim by, he kept his machine gun working. His senses were peaked, his heart was beating fast, his body filled with adrenaline. Bullets ticked off their armor plating in a rain. Some grenades went off up ahead of him. So far, nothing was effectively shooting back. He saw the multiple flashes from the constant rain of mortars landing and spewing bits of deadly shrapnel in all directions. One building collapsed from the pounding. Multiple fires lit the facility grounds in a macabre light. No one else was running across the ground. He thought he saw a few crawling. He aimed and let out a burst. The tracers ripped into the ground, then into at least one man who rolled over, flinging an arm in the air, then laid still.

Cameron shot another bomb into the first building. It went through a previous hole There was a flash inside, then half the building collapsed. Mortars took down the front of another building, exposing the floors within. Tracer rounds from high up on the mountain rained into the interior.

Catching sight of movement, John aimed and saw five men rush out in view. Two were carrying RPG's. He opened up on them with a short burst that took the men down, then his gun stopped firing.

"CAM, I'M OUT!" John yelled.

A bomb hit the place where the men had been. Bodies flew and some grenades went off.

Cameron flew up out of her hatch. She pitched the empty ammo box away and put in a full one. A star shell lit the sky over them. Mortar shells hit in between the perimeter walls, throwing debris and a few bodies over the top. She got the first round loaded.

"You're loaded," she called. Gunfire from the walls came down on them as Cameron scrambled back into her hatch. John found and took out one man, then another. One rose up to point a long tube at them. John shot him. The rocket flew down and passed just over the top of the dozer. He sprayed the walls with a stream of bullets.

"TIME! John, GO!" Cameron shouted. She then called on the radio, "JC, moving in."

John gave the dozer full gas. They rolled up the last of the incline and picked up speed. John shifted through the gears as fast as he could, keeping his hand on the joystick for the machine gun. Charging the ruined gate, he saw a man stagger out and hit him with a burst. The man dropped something as he fell. It blew up. There was something else in the road, a round disk. Crashing though the gate debris, John steered around it. The boom and back flash told him it was a charge meant to take out one of their tracks. The explosion helped him see a few mean headed for a building on his right. He sprayed them, they fell.

Heading straight for the far perimeter wall, John didn't steer very much. He was letting the dozer drive straight on, crashing into ruined cars and running them over. He only got up to maybe 25 miles an hour until they cleared the parking lot. Above him, he heard Cameron shooting with the M-14. She was shooting single shots, but close together. She dropped a clip and loaded another and kept shooting. A head came up from between some cars he was about to run over. He aimed and shot. The head dropped. He crashed into the cars, the front of the dozer came up and ran over the mess.

Bullets were still ticking off the armor. It was then John realized Cameron was partly out of her hatch, shooting back.

"CAM! Get back in here!" he yelled.

A few more shots and Cameron did drop back in and shut her hatch.

"We need more speed, John!" she called. She then shot a bomb at the perimeter wall they were charging. The round hit, the blast buckled the wall. John braced himself as they rammed the wall. His arms folded some, but luckily he kept from ramming his face into the view slit.

They slowed quickly. The rumble of falling debris was like hammer blows. John shifted down. His optical sight was gone. Looking through his view slit, he saw a body and the outer wall in front of him. He floored the gas, ran over the body and rammed the wall. The impact stopped them. The tracks still churned. John heard crackling then the wall fell in front of them. John drove over the wall that was now a ramp. It broke apart further, then he was looking at a dark tree line. The light from the burning facility was quickly dimming. He drove into the trees and tried to turn on the headlight. It didn't work.

"Shit!" he spat. He hit a smaller tree and knocked it over.

"John, STOP!" Cameron yelled.

He did. Opening his hatch, he saw they were in the woods. A chunk of concrete fell off when Cameron opened her hatch. Looking at the dozer, he saw his machine gun was bent and hanging by one strut. The launch tube of the dozer was bent down and crushed. Debris covered their dozer. Below them, it looked like the entire facility was burning. Not one building was standing whole. Another mortar came down to hit A standing wall, making it collapse.

Climbing out, Cameron had the M-14 and the sack with the spare clips over her shoulder. He also saw a crosshatch of silver across her back like she'd been raked by an animal. A few of her hairs caught in some jagged debris and ripped a chunk of her scalp off.

John got out and stared at her. On her head, more metal than flesh was showing. She still had her right eye and cheek, and most of her lips. John immediately thought about the repair plate on the back of her head. "Turn around," he said and put a hand on her bare metal shoulder.

Cameron still had hair and flesh on the back of her head. "Thank god, the repair wasn't damaged." he said in relief.

Turning to face him with her mostly terminator face, Cameron said, "We have to go, I have to drive."

"Yeah," he agreed. Cameron was torn up bad. Her left side from her neck down to mid chest, and her left arm only had bits and chunks of bloody flesh clinging on. The remains of her left breast hung low. Her right side showed plenty of silver streaks and everywhere on her upper body there was flesh, was bloody. Her had noticed her flat, terminator tone.

Cupping her face on her fleshed and metal cheek, John said, "I love you and you love me. Give me the rifle and get us out of here."

"I love you and you love me," she replied. She handed him the rifle and gave him the ammo sack. They climbed back in. Cameron drove off up the valley as the last few mortar rounds collapsed the last standing building. John kept watch out the top hatch, keeping a close eye on the branches scrapping by.

The valley moved down hill, Cameron drove them skillfully around larger trees, and slowed to a stop before they hit an ATV trail.

John got down and went to the driver's hatch. "Cam?" he asked when she didn't come out.

"We'll wait here for the others," she said, her voice heavily muffled from the steel.

John went to the view slit that was allowing him to hear anything. "Yes, but aren't you coming out?" he asked.

"I can wait in here."

"Yeah," he said slowly. "But I thought we might wait together."

"I'm ugly now, John." Her voice sounded hollow.

John let out a sigh. "I don't care, Cam. If anything, I want to look you over and patch as much as we can." There was no response, so John added, "Look, Cam, to me, you can never be ugly, got it? I've got the first aide kit, so come out so I can get a good look at you!"

The hatch slowly opened. "It's dark, John. You can't see well in the dark," Cameron said.

John looked in. With no light, it was a black hole. Cameron hadn't moved. "Cam, turn on the light."

Cameron did. She also looked away.

John took the opportunity to probe the area where her skull repair was. He spoke idly as he probed the back of her head. "OK, you're missing flesh, but the repair seems to be intact. I don't see or feel any other breaches. How about mechanical damage? Any damage coming up on your HUD besides flesh wounds?"

"My left shoulder joint is only 62 percent operational," Cameron droned.

John leaned in and looked at her bare metal shoulder. "OK, yeah, looks like bullet fragments got in there. That's not a big concern, we'll get them out," he assured her. "Face me."

Cameron turned to him slowly. He studied her left eye, The red orb looked OK, he petted a light scratch on her metal forehead. "I don't see anything too bad." he then petted her bare cheek and said, "Cam, I don't care if you are completely bare metal. You are my wife and I love you. Yes, I'm sorry you got torn up. I don't like to see you sad. All this damage though, shows me how dedicated you are to me. Understand I am just as dedicated to you." Stretching to lean in farther, he gave her a gentle kiss. "And it would be a whole lot easier if you came out so I can kiss you."

The right side of Cameron's mouth curled up into a smile. John backed out. Cameron did come out. The instant she was standing in front of him, John hugged her. She returned the hugs, splaying her silver skeletal fingers in his hair.

"I love you and you love me,' she said softly.

"No matter what," John agreed firmly, and hugged her a bit tighter.

"I'd offer you a drink but the damage has drained me," Cameron said meekly.

"Can they be salvaged, or do you have to re-grow them?"

Cameron looked down at herself. "The right breast will heal with nanites. The left one is connected only by 3 percent of the connecting flesh. It will fall off soon. I'm sorry, John."

"Let's salvage what we can. If we get it back in place, will that help?" he asked.

"Yes."

John opened the first aide kit and got out the roll of gauze. Carefully, he opened Cameron's shirt and hefted her drooping breast while she took her shirt off. The sight of the bloody orb made john want to cry, but he held onto himself. John formed a bra like bandage to support her breasts. Cameron watched him make the bra-bandage, then inspected her right arm, He bandaged the loose flesh back on, wrapping half her arm up from mid forearm to upper bicep where the flesh ran out. By the weak light from the open hatch, he couldn't see to get the bullet fragments out of her shoulder.

"Make love to me," Cameron said softly.

At first, John thought this was one hell of a time to be doing something like that. They were waiting to flee with the rest of the group, and men with guns might be chasing them. As he studied her face, John understood. Torn up like this, Cameron needed the assurance that she was still desirable to him. The only place available was the sloped front of the dozer. He took her by her metal hand and led her around to the front. He cleaned the debris off the front, then drew her close and kissed her. He kissed her lips, her fleshed cheek, then her metal cheek. He petted her gently, not wanting to do any more damage to her. He kissed her bare metal fingers with the same gentleness, then undid her pants. She sat up on the sloped front of the dozer.

If his wife needed him, he would gladly oblige.

.

In the height of the battle, Sarah didn't see anyone coming up the mountain at them. In the distance, she did see the facility and a dark patch moving. She fired down on them, watching the tracers drop around the patch, then onto it. The patch broke up. She send a few more bursts down into the facility. The mortars were flying down in a solid stream, blasting apart one building then another.

Sarah watched the dozer drove through the chaos. She fired down on the facility behind it, hoping to suppress anyone attempting to attack it from behind. Derek was also firing more at the perimeter walls towards the gate. Not long after the dozer had battered it's way out the back, the mortars stopped landing.

Weaver announced over the radio, "Mission complete, return to our rides."

Sarah folded the tripod up and took the belt out of the gun. Picking to the machine gun in one hand and the remaining box of ammo in the other, she struggled back up to her ATV. She turned her flashlight on and loaded the trailer, then got on and drove back to their meeting point.

Weaver was already there. Shortly after Sarah arrived, Derek met them. A couple minutes later, Jesse arrived. They drove down to the trail to where they were going to meet John and Cameron at an easy pace to minimize the noise they made and not race by the spot they were too meet John and Cameron. As they closed on the place, she saw movement in the dark. A hulking form drove out to block the trail.

Sarah feared for her was their dozer, just battered down like someone had pounded on it with a huge hammer. John popped his head out of the top hatch.

"Everyone make it?" he asked.

"We're fine, Are you All right?"Sarah called.

"We're good. see you at home," he called back. The dozer clanked on down the hill, crunching through the brush and knocking down small trees as it went on it's way.

The ATV group followed trails out to the east faster now. Coming to a stream, they saw the dozer again, driving down through the shallow water. They followed.

.

Agents Aldridge and Ross were called to a possible 'terrorist attack' in the hills out of town. They arrived up the road that was in state forest. Up ahead were police at a road block and a public works bulldozer clearing the road of rock and debris. Men with chainsaws were cutting up the trees were felled over the road. They got out and had to walk up to a group of officers.

Showing his badge, Aldridge asked, "What the hell happened here?"

The police captain grunted and said, "Big friggin bomb. This is just the perimeter of the blast. Come on, let me show you the hole."

They struggled through the canted over woods to the rim of a crater. Looking down, Aldridge guessed the bottom of the crater was 20 feet deep. "OK, so why blow a big hole in the woods?" Ross asked.

The Captain pointed at the bottom. "It's hard to see, but there's pipes down there. Over there, you can see a piece sticking up. This used to be a service tunnel. We got plenty of calls of an explosion. Seeing it was way up here, we thought a plane crashed, but we got no reports of one going down. By the size of this crater, We think someone got a 500 pound bomb down in that tunnel and set it off. The thing is, seeing this, we should have power outages, but none were reported."

"What does that tunnel service?" Aldridge asked.

"The power company is looking into it They had a power transformer blow in a transformer yard near the edge of town right about the same time. They were looking for the cause and are sure this was it. The thing is, they didn't even know there was a service tunnel up here" The captain explained.

Aldridge frowned. "Where does that tunnel go?"

"Looks like uphill, but there's nothing but nature trails all through this area."

Aldridge frowned in thought. A tunnel that went nowhere getting blown up. That didn't make sense. "There has to be a reason this tunnel is here," he said. "Find anything else?"

Motioning behind him the captain said, "Down that trail, we found a moving van. It's empty, no one around. Uphill there we got a tractor and a heavy equipment trailer on the side of the road. All the right side tires are flat."

"Can we see it?"

"Right after we get the road cleared."

.

It took another hour to clear the road so Aldridge could follow the police car up the single cleared lane. Getting to the truck, he saw police going over it. Aldridge walked around the truck. Why someone left it here was a mystery. He did note all the valve stems on the right side were pulled out. These tires had been deflated on purpose. Walking up to the dirt road it was blocking, he noted bulldozer tracks.

Pointing to them, he told Ross, "Someone deliberately blocked this road, then drove a bulldozer up it."

Ross nodded to the truck and said, "We're not getting up this road until that thing is moved. Think this is related to that blast?"

"Pretty sure of it. I'm also sure something is up this road. Whoever parked that truck there was doing their best to slow down anyone wanting to get up this road," Aldridge agreed.

Another officer came up to them. "Guys! We got a pair of campers here you should talk to."

Aldridge told Ross, "Work on getting that thing moved. I'll go see what these campers have to say."

.

A young couple stood by a police car, leaning on the back. The officer by them said, "We found them just up the road. They saw us coming and flagged us down."

Aldridge thanked him. The couple looked ragged. He showed them his badge. "Morning folks, what can you tell me about last night?"

"It was a friggin war going on!" the young man said, wide eyed. "I'm talking machine gun fire, explosions, and we saw a tank!"

"A tank?" Aldridge asked. "It was dark, you sure it wasn't a bulldozer maybe?"

"It had a friggin cannon and a machine gun mounted on it, it was a tank!" The man insisted.

The girl pointed and said, "It went past us and we thought maybe the army was up here, you know, doing maneuvers or something, then this big explosion happened down by the road, and then all kinds of gunfire and explosions were going off up between those mountains. We heard a few bullets flying through the trees, so we ran out of camp, and hid over there in that ditch until we saw a cop."

"You did the right thing getting out of there. You say it was between those mountains? You sure?"

The man nodded. "We saw the light from the explosions. They were going off, bang, bang. bang, one right after another," the man said.

The policeman by them said, "We got their statements. Since the road's open I was going to take them down to get checked out at the hospital."

Aldridge nodded. "Carry on. Thank you for you help," he told the couple.

.

The plan of investigating by themselves was out the window. After the truck was dragged out of the way, they waited for SWAT to show up with their armored car before they went up that road. A helicopter over flew the area and reported massive damage to what looked like an industrial complex that should not be there. The maps didn't show it, and it was on state land. Fires were still burning at the site.

Aldridge has no choice now. A fierce battle had been fought between unknown forces. He had to call in Homeland Security.

.

Since all the mortars were used, Derek and Jesse took the mortars and machine guns back to the depot. John drove the dozer there as well and towed the army truck back. He knew for the mass of destruction they'd caused, someone was going to come looking for them. Having this stuff in the warehouse was asking for police to come find it.

Despite Cameron's blank 'mood' at suffering so much damage, John didn't think she looked that bad once they cleaned her up. John had pulled the few bullets left in Cameron out, washed he and had wrapped her up. Most of the damage was on her upper body from shooting back with the M-14. Her torso was wrapped up like a Ninja in strips of bandage, as was her right arm. Wearing a long sleeve shirt hid her bare left arm and shoulders. There was no hiding her half bare metal face and the large bare spots on her head, nor that glowing red eye.

John knew Cameron didn't feel comfortable with him seeing her like this, so he made it a point to look at her, and when he kissed her, to kiss her bare metal parts as well. He did his best to show her it didn't matter to him.

Sarah, Derek, and Jesse were visibly revolted by the sight. They had to put up with it when they had a meeting for what to do now.

"I think we need to split up," John said. "Everything we took back was wiped down for prints, and we did our best to cover our tracks. Still, if we're found together, we might all go down."

Sarah eyed John. "If we each go our own way, that will make all of us vulnerable," she stated.

John shook his head. "Derek and Jesse are a couple, no one is looking for Derek Reese. They head up north, Oregon maybe. We keep in touch, but they start a new life. Us three slip over into Mexico. We can hide there for a long time."

"Costa Rica," Cameron said. "It's nice there and if we travel easy, my damage can be repaired by the time we get there."

Derek cleared his throat and said, "John, I agree Jesse and I should keep away for a while. You and Cameron have met FBI agents. They know you're here . If you take off, you will be suspected immediately. Your best bet is get rid of anything military and sit tight. Just keep the metal hidden from view until she recovers."

"He's right," Sarah said.

"Staying here is a risk to John's safety," Cameron stated.

"Fleeing is sticking a big, red flag on you," Derek countered. "That is riskier."

John let out a sigh. "Maybe you're right. We still can't say for sure if we've stopped Sky Net completely. We have to keep looking for it."

Sarah said, "Derek, if you want, you and Jesse take the trailer to live in. Your story is you're sub letting from us until you find your own place. You know nothing about us. You can also keep watch for those FBI agents to come back."

"Sure, let's slum it for a while," Jesse said with a smirk.

"I will give you a bank card," Cameron said. She got up to get to work on it.

.

Evening came and no FBI came beating down the door. John made sure Cameron had all the nutrients she could take in. She wanted to feed him from her right breast but he insisted she use those nutrients for herself. John was exhausted, they sat on the downstairs living room couch, where he fell asleep with his arm around Cameron.

.

By evening, Aldridge got up to the ruins of the facility. Bodies were everywhere, armed men, their guns strewn about. Not a building was standing. Police covered the area, some standing guard while others took pictures and collected the bodies into rows. He wondered how many bodies were in those collapsed buildings.

Looking over the scene, Ross said, "There has to be a couple hundred dead here. In a place that shouldn't exist."

"It doesn't any more," Aldridge said tightly.

An army officer came walking up to them. "Evening, gentlemen. I'm Colonel Watson from Homeland Security. I've spoken to your superiors. You may head on back to your office. There is a gag order on everything you've seen today. Nothing happened here. Is that understood?"

Ross looked around and said, "Tell that to all these dead men."

Sternly, Watson said, "If you even hint at seeing this place, you'll be rushed off to a holding facility and charged with treason. You may get a trial in thirty to fifty years. Do I make myself clear?"

"And all these police?"

"Not your concern. You were never here, they were never here, I was never here. Now get in your car and go."

"Covering up a full blown battle. Never thought I'd see the day," Aldridge said. He turned and walked towards the car parked outside the gate. Hearing helicopters, he saw wide bellied troops ships coming in to land.

"They can't do this," Ross hissed.

"If they state reasons of national security, they can," Aldridge reminded him.

"So, we will never know what happened here," Ross grated.

Aldridge cast him a smirk and thought, 'Yes we will. I know just who to go and see.'

.

Aldridge made notes on everything and cross checked them for clues. He knew now that it was Cameron who'd called Sarah Connor in the hospital before she had whisked her away. He did not forget the hints Cameron had given her. He also found out before they were ejected by the military, that only those at the facility that didn't exist had died. No bodies of whoever had attacked them were found, and no hospitals had reported people coming in with gunshot wounds. For how much shooting there had been, that seemed very unlikely, those men who'd died were armed and had been throwing a lot of lead at someone, as well as a few RPG's. shell casings were all over the ground.

Given a tank had rolled in the gate and out the back of the place, he knew John and Cameron were not living in a hotel room someplace. They couldn't hide a tank there. He took the hints and started looking at warehouses. Knowing where the trailer that was suppose to be their home was, he began narrowing down possible places.

Three days after he started his search, he was in a Quickmart on the edge of town. He bought a coffee and strolled outside to look around. In her call to Sarah at the hospital, Cameron mentioned sleeping next to John's canon. He knew now, she wasn't talking about his dick. They were staying in the place where they were keeping this tank. From here, he could see the roof of a warehouse. The only one that was visible, and the only place he'd seen that was big enough to hide a tank.

Getting in his car, he drove up to the warehouse and parked in the yard. Walking around, he studied the pavement where there was pavement. In the dirt, he saw what looked like bulldozer tracks. By all the tire tracks, it looked like this warehouse was in use. He walked over to the doors. They were side opening doors. A fresh padlock and chain locked them shut.

Aldridge walked around to the back and found a pedestrian door. He tried it, it was locked. He heard a soft noise around the corner. He announced, "I'm not on duty and I don't have a gun. I figured it would be useless. I just have some questions and information."

He waited, no one answered.

"That facility doesn't exist, the army told me so," he offered. "Nothing happened up there. The explosion everyone heard for miles around was a gas explosion, they told me that was the official explanation. The trucks we found were from thieves making off with them. They fled when the gas went boom. Just a coincidence they happened to be in the same area. I know, and you know, that story is utter bullshit. I just came to find out the truth."

Still no response.

"Whatever you were after to destroy up there, it's gone. That had to be a big risk you took, even for you. I just wanted you to know, it paid off. If I know what you're looking for, I can help. I just need to know what the truth is."

A soft voice said, "Don't move."

"You got it," he said and stared at the door. He saw someone come around the corner in his peripheral vision. He strained himself not to look. He did look when a silver, skeletal hand put a key in the lock and opened the door.

"In."

He stepped in to find a large bunch of crates filling part of the warehouse on his right, and a workshop on his left. Looking around he voiced what he didn't see. "Where's your tank?" he asked.

The door behind him shut. "It served it's purpose. Turn around."

Aldridge did and froze. It was Cameron, partially. Her face was only an eye, one cheek, lips and some chin. The rest was bare metal skull and a glowing red left eye. Her neck had a bug chunk out of it like she'd been bitten deep. The rag she had on her head showed she had some hair left. Her arm with the skeletal hand was thin under the long sleeve shirt, most likely bare metal all the way up to her bare metal collarbone peeking out between the bandages under her shirt.

"Jesus!" he said in a gasp.

"No, Cameron," she said, correcting him.

Aldridge swallowed. There was no doubt Cameron was one of these terminators. "You look like you went through hell," he offered. "Is John hurt?"

"Negative. I protect John. Follow me."

Cameron walked over to the wall of tightly stacked crates. She grabbed the edge of one. It opened to show a door. She opened the door to show the entryway into a house.

"I never would have guessed this was here," he said as he followed her into a normal looking living room.

From her chair, Sarah Connor turned her head to see him. Her eyes widened as she shot up. "Tin Miss, what is HE doing here?" she barked.

On the couch, John turned and asked, "Who's this?"

Cameron motioned to an empty chair. "Agent Aldridge, have a seat," she said.

"FBI?" John asked, looking nervous.

Cameron took a seat beside John, between him and Aldridge. "Agent Aldridge has news," she said.

"John Connor," Aldridge said. "So, you're not just a myth." He waved Sarah down. "Relax, Sarah, I'm not here to arrest anyone. My partner doesn't even know I'm here. Like I told Cameron, last night never happened by order of Homeland Security. Neither us nor the police can ever say anything or have any records of it. That facility never existed. By the damage that was done and by how quickly it was done, I am sure they suspect special ops troops from somewhere else came in and laid waste to that place. My only concern now is, if you got it."

"It?" Sarah asked.

"Sky Net, the bad AI," Aldridge clarified.

"We are hoping so. There is no way to be sure," John told him.

Looking at the walls and furnishings, Aldridge said, "You got a good place here and well camouflaged. Not by code, but like that facility, it doesn't exist. No military hardware around either. I have no reason to ever say anything about it."

"Agent Aldridge, why did you come here?" Sarah asked warily.

"I'm after the truth. Not for any official reason, but so I know," he told her. "If I'm going to be watching out for signs of this AI thing popping up, I need to know what to look for. I know you're not crazy, Sarah." Nodding to Cameron, he said, "Cameron alone proves that. I've also had collaboration with someone else who's seen these terminators. I do believe in law and order. I also believe in protecting the population. If a Sky Net gets built and nukes the planet, then I have failed in my job."

"We think Kaliba is the ones trying to build Sky Net," John said.

"Things are pointing that way," Aldridge agreed. "That attack on Zeira corporation was mercs who'd been working for them. We got that company under surveillance. The dead men we found scattered around that facility, if we could investigate it, I am sure those men were mercs working for the same company. Like I said though, that never happened."

"Kaliba stays hidden," Sarah told him. "They use satellite companies to do their work for them."

"We search for news about tech companies," John told him. "New contracts, startups that seen to be well funded, anyone working on AI projects. That's all we can do."

"We haven't turned up anything so far," Aldridge admitted. "If we do, I'd like to have a contact number so I can pass the information."

"Leave a letter in the mailbox at our trailer address," Sarah said. "Someone will be by there to pick it up."

"That works for me," Aldridge said. "I'm glad all of you got out alive. Though Cameron should probably let someone else go to the Quickmart for a while. Will all that heal?"

"It will," Cameron said.

Aldridge cast her a brief smile and said, "I'd ask how, but I'm sure the explanation is scientifically over my head. " Getting up, he added, "Just remember, I am on your side."

Sarah got up. "I will show you out."

"Thank you."

Sarah took him out into the warehouse. Eyeing him, she said, "Thank you for helping us. We've never had any help from the authorities before."

Aldridge shrugged and said, "I've never believed you were telling the truth until I met Cameron. And seeing her like that? That proves you're right. You're one brave woman, Sarah. don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. You should be hailed as a hero."

Sarah flushed at the compliment. No one had ever given her a compliment before. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

Walking to the door out of the warehouse, Aldridge said, "I know you're nervous, so I'm going to stay away from here. If I have anything, or need anything, I'll go to that trailer."

He opened the door and cast Sarah a smile. "Good luck to you." He closed the door and left.

.

Colonel Watson walked around the destroyed facility as his men collected the bodies to be disposed of. His aide, Major Barret, came over and showed him a spent shell casing. "Sir, most of the casings inside this place are .223's. outside the gate right where the road begins to drop, we found a bunch of .308 casings and belt clips. A few scattered inside, near those bulldozer tracks that ran through here."

"I take it that dozer was armored and had at least one machine gun and a good canon," Watson replied. "Whoever did this, drove a tank through here."

"That is my assumption as well. Sir, we can follow the tracks and find out where they went."

Watson eyed him. "During the day, by helicopter. "If these people were able to get their modified bulldozer up here on that flatbed and pound the hell out of this place, I'm sure they trapped their escape route to stop whoever tries to follow them. Look for tracks from the air, and with support nearby."

Major Barret nodded in agreement. "Sir, do we have any idea who it could be?"

"Not unless we find a body or any survivors. From what I'm seeing,this was a one sided fight. Whoever did this, came in hard and fast. I doubt the battle went any longer than twenty minutes or so. Mercs with a few RPG's and MP5's are no matched for an armored vehicle sporting machine guns and a canon. Besides that, I suspect when we search those mountains, we'll find they had more weapons to bring to bear." Looking around he frowned and said, "We're going to be here months digging through rubble just to find out what the hell was going on here."


	11. Chapter 11

CH 11

A week after the battle in the mountains. Cameron was regrowing her flesh well. First putting more nanites to work on her torso, Cameron managed to save her left breast and grow flesh up to her shoulders. She also had a nearly a complete face, the flesh/metal line was high on her forehead, running down her left temple and the back of her jaw. Her neck was whole, the flesh growing out to creep onto her collar bones. Or course, as soon as each breast was healed, Cameron had John 'test' each one to be sure they were fully functional by nursing on her, which lead to sex. John picked out the bullet fragments from her shoulder. That by itself returned her shoulder to 85 percent efficiency. Some minor mechanical repairs and she was back up to 100 percent. With a head rag on, even Sarah stopped being repulsed by how Cameron looked.

There was no news, direct or indirect, from that facility they had destroyed. Like Aldridge had told them, it was like the place never existed. Keeping a close watch out, Cameron also didn't detect anyone snooping around. Only a single army helicopter flight off in the distance was any sign that someone might be looking for them.

John formed a plan. He searched the internet for women's head scarves. He found a site that had purple scarves and bought one. Cameron also had no nice dresses, so he dragged her over to the computer to show her some selections.

Tipping her head slightly, Cameron asked, "I need a dress?"

"You do," John said firmly. He glanced at the thin necklace she'd hung her ring on until her hand flesh grew back. He was glad she had left her ring at home last week. He was sure that saved it. "See, we're going out on a date. With a scarf, a nice dress and I was thinking a pair of those long black gloves, you will be fine going to a nice restaurant that has low, romantic lighting with me."

Cameron looked at him. "A date?" she asked.

"Yes, just us, dinner and a movie," he said. Lifting her hand, he kissed it and asked, "May I take my lovely wife out for an evening?"

Cameron's face brightened up. She hugged John and planted a kiss on his lips. "That will be very nice, John. I'll be happy to go out with you." She then bore an intense look and added, "You need a suit."

.

Although John hadn't meant for Cameron to help plan their date, it was fun for the two of them to sit and plan it out together. Cameron picked the restaurant, a fancy place that overlooked the ocean and there were no prices on the menu. It would not look good to drive a minivan there, so they rented a limo for the night.

Cameron ordered a black evening dress and a shawl, then a pair of paten leather high heels and a jewel encrusted hand bag. They got John a nice looking suit to match, complete with a vest and waist coat, also with shiny black shoes.

After they had ordered and had the reservations in, John noted Cameron was happy. Sarah also noticed Cameron seemed to have a constant grin on her face.

Eyeing Cameron, Sarah asked, "You look happy. Any reason why?"

Cameron grinned at Sarah and decided to have some fun with her. "I'm pregnant!" she cheered.

Sarah's face dropped open. Her face paled.

"Fooled you," Cameron said with a big grin.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY! I do not want to hear that again!" Sarah blasted out, glaring at Cameron.

At his computer, John laughed.

"John! Did you put her up to that?" Sarah growled.

John snickered and shook his head. Calming himself, he said, "I'm taking Cam out on a date this next Saturday."

"Looking like that?" Sarah asked, pointing to the bare metal still showing on Cameron's head.

John let out a huff and said, "With a scarf to hide it, and a shawl, no one will see. The restaurant lighting is dim. We'll be fine, Mom. She hasn't left the house in a week."

"John, you are taking a big risk there is no need to take," Sarah stated.

Cameron replied, "I have calculated the chances of anyone discovering my injuries as less than five percent given the conditions we will be experiencing. The chances of whoever does see them alerting others is less than one percent."

Sarah rubbed her forehead and asked, "And what about John being recognized?"

"No one is looking for John," Cameron told her. "Even if they happen to see him, John Connor is officially dead. They will just see someone who looks like him. I doubt any law enforcement will be in the places we are going."

"You ARE going armed, correct?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, I will have my glock in a thigh holster."

Glowering at John, then Cameron, Sarah said, "Nothing better happen to John."

Watching his mother storm out of the room, John said, "That went well. She didn't say we couldn't go."

.

Saturday came. Cameron helped John into his suit first, making sure it fit and straightening it to look perfect. She then went in the bathroom to get herself dressed. Looking at herself in the mirror, Cameron was pleased with her look. From her lacy black bra and panties to the form fitting black dress with her purple head scarf and black thigh-high stockings, she was sure John would like her look. Stepping out to face John, she was happy to see him gaze at her with a smile on his face.

"Cam, you look fantastic!" he said.

"And you are very handsome, my husband," Cameron replied.

They walked down to a house where Cameron knew the people were on vacation and waited for the Limo. When it came, the chauffer opened the door for them. John had never been in a limo before. He let Cameron get in first, then got in and took in the huge back seat area. There was a stereo, wine glasses and even bottle of champagne and 14 year old scotch "We even have a mini bar," he said.

"And a privacy window," Cameron noted.

They arrived at the restaurant just as it was getting dark. The chauffer opened the door for them. Once they were out and headed up the steps, he drove off to park. The restaurant looked like a mansion, all marble, polished wood and gold colored fixtures. John thought the older man behind the podium with a desk light on it was dressed better than he was.

John walked up to the man with Cameron on his arm. "The Baums, table for two." he said.

The man checked his register. "Yes, Good evening, Mr. Baum, please, follow me."

John swore he heard, 'Good evening, Mr. Bond' At the moment, he certainly felt like it, all dressed up with his gorgeous Cameron on his arm. Only in this case, she had the gun.

They walked down a hallway past other dinning rooms to come to a room that had only a single table for two against a wall that was floor to ceiling glass and faced the ocean. The man held the chair for Cameron, then John. He then lit the fresh, red candle on the center of the table. With a bow, he said, "The waitress will be in shortly. Bon appetite."

"Thank you, Sir," John replied.

A private dinning room. This had to be one expensive place. Good thing they didn't have to really pay the bill.

When the waitress came in she was in a frilly French maid's outfit. She handed out leather bound menus and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

John didn't see any drink choices. He knew ordering a coke here just might make the woman faint. "A bottle of red wine, please, and two glasses of water."

"Yes, sir. Any special year or brand?" she asked.

"The house wine will be good. And the Fillet Minong for myself and the Mrs.," John told her.

Very good, Sir," the waitress said with a bow, collected the menus and departed.

Seeing Cameron look at him, he reached out and clasped her hand and said, "It's the fancy word for steak. You do need meat to help grow flesh."

"Thank you for explaining, John," Cameron said softly.

In the soft candle light, John swore Cameron was prettier than ever. "I love looking at you, you're so pretty" he said. "I am blessed to have you."

Cameron smiled. "I am very lucky to have you also, John. I love you, and you love me."

"I love you and you love me," her replied in a sincere tone.

Her face taking on a questioning look, she asked, "John, does it bother you that I can't have children?"

John thought about that for a few seconds, and asked, "Are you sure you can't? I mean, you are able to grow your biologics. What are you lacking to actually have a baby?"

"There are no ovaries attached to my womb," Cameron explained. "I would need them, and the fallopian tubes to deliver the eggs into my womb."

"Can you make them?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Can you try?" John prodded.

Cameron stared at John briefly, then said, "I can form the necessary organs, but I do not know how to make the eggs. There is nothing I can reference to create them."

"We can look up medical information, right? Let's look it up when we get home." John offered. He shrugged and added, "That is, if you want to be able to have children."

"I do John," Cameron said quickly. "I have been changing. Yes, I am still a terminator. I always will be. I also want to be a wife and mother. I want us to have a family."

"I would say you are evolving very well, my beautiful wife. I think you can do whatever you put your mind to doing," John told her.

The waitress came back in with a cart bearing three covered plates and a bucket with wine and wine glasses.

Two of the plates were their dinner that looked and smelled great. the third plate was a mix of appetizers, rolls, snack fruits and fried munchies. She set up their glasses and poured the wine. Stepping back, she asked, "Is there anything else I can get you?"

'This is perfect, thank you," Cameron told her.

"Bon appetite," she said with a bow, and left with her cart.

They dug into their meal.

"This is really nice," John said as he looked out the window at the ocean. "Good food, a great view, and I get to look at the most beautiful woman in the world," he said with a grin.

"I get to look at my handsome husband," Cameron replied with a smirk. "I just hope he's ready to for a long session of sex when we get home."

"Absolutely, my love."

While they were eating, someone ran past the doorway. Cameron perked up and watched out the door. "John, there's trouble," she said.

"Now?" he asked in a whine. They were having their first real date, and it was going so well.

"Wait here, I'll be back." Cameron said and got up.

Cameron went out onto the hallway to see a man in a hoodie and ski mask approaching her. Very shoddy dress for a place like this.

He pointed his gun at her and growled, "Jewelry, hand it over now!"

He made the mistake of walking right up to her in a threatening manner.

Bam.

A fast roundhouse punch laid him out on the floor. Cameron picked up his gun and walked on. She met another man in shoddy clothes and a ski mask race out of another room right in front of her. He had a bag in one hand and a gun in the other.

Bam. Two down. He had a revolver. She dumped the shells onto the floor and walked on. Coming to the front, she saw the older man in a tux, holding his hands up and standing against the wall. A third shoddy man was holding a gun on him. She raised up the first gun she'd collected and intoned, "Drop it or die."

The man sneered at her, "You don't dare shoot, bitch!"

 **BANG.** Perfect head shot, right between his eyebrows. His brains spread out over the nice, white marble floor.

Walking up to the shocked man who'd greeted them, she offered him the gun by the barrel and asked, "How many?"

The flustered man recoiled from the offered gun. "Four, M'lady. You …. just killed that man!"

"Take it, you need to protect yourself," she stated.

"We don't allow guns here!" he cried.

"Someone brought them anyway. Take it, there is still one I haven't found yet," Cameron told him.

"I'll be in violation of company policy!" he said, staring at the gun.

Cameron ejected the clip and tossed the gun down. "You better call the police, two of them are laid out in the hallway." she stated and went back the way she came.

Walking back to her and John's room, she saw the fourth man over the limp form of one of the others. He looked up to see her striding towards him.

"Stop!" he commanded and aimed at her.

"You ruined my date," Cameron stated heavily as she strode towards him. "You can run away, or you can die. Choose."

"I will shoot!" he warned.

"You will die," Cameron replied.

He shot, hitting her square in the center of her chest. Cameron kept striding towards him, her eyes flashed red. Hs eyed grew wide. He lost his nerve, dropped the gun and bolted.

Cameron returned to John. He was up against the inside wall, the safest place he could be. "We need to leave," she said.

Yup. They did, damn it.

Walking quickly, they went to the foyer where the older man was still staring at the body on the floor.

"Check please?" John asked and handed the man his card.

The man stared at Cameron, seeing the neat hole between her breasts, and a bit of blood around the hole. "You've been shot," he said in a gasp.

"Yes, my new dress is ruined," she agreed.

"When you figure out the bill, feel free to charge my account," John told him, then led Cameron out.

The limo was still parked and they didn't know where the chauffer was, so John and Cameron walked down the street. They were heading down a side street when police cars with flashing lights raced into the restaurant parking lot.

John glanced back and said, "Sorry it turned out like this."

Holding his hand as they walked, Cameron said, "Not your fault, John. It was nice while it lasted." She called Sarah to pick them up. She really wanted to get home and look up what she needed to have a baby, then try to make one.

.

Since there had been a fatal shooting, Detective Murdock and his partner, Detective Riggs were called to the scene. When they arrived, the patrol men informed them there were three deaths. Two men were found lying in the hallway had their necks broken from what the coroner thought was a heavy blow to their cheeks. It appeared someone very strong had punched them. The third was shot right between his eyes. What a mess that was.

They talked to the patrons and the staff. Apparently, a slim woman who they had a good description of, had killed the men. Two by punching them and the third she shot with a gun one of the perps had. Two shots had been fired. The woman had killed a perp with a single shot to the head, and the head waiter insisted she'd been shot in the chest.

By all rights, that woman in a black dress should be lying outside someplace, severely wounded or dead. Her and the man she was with were nowhere to be found.

Riggs found their limo driver and talked to him. He didn't see them in the crowd of witnesses. The couple had disappeared.

"She must have been wearing body armor," Murdock said.

Riggs shook his head. "If she was, it was penetrated. The head waiter saw blood around the hole," he reminded him. "Shock might have gotten her fifty feet or so. There is no way she just walked off by herself. Even if the guy with her carrier her, they should be around here someplace. Answer me this, who goes to a high priced place like this wearing body armor under their evening gown?"

"It is damn strange," Murdock agreed.

Riggs watched the last ambulance pull out. "We still got one live perp to talk to if we can find him. Everyone said there were four, we only have three bodies."

"Only three," Murdock said with a snort. "Whoever that woman is, she's a lethal weapon."

.

Sarah wasn't happy about the altercation at a high priced restaurant. Apparently, those thieves had very bad timing and ran into Cameron. At least they had gotten out of there without John being hurt and Cameron was covered enough that a full description wasn't likely.

In their room, John insisted on removing the bullet and tenderly caring for the wound. Topless, Cameron coaxed him to nurse on her for a while before they went over to the computer to look up what consisted of human female eggs. Once they took in more information than either thought there was about human eggs, they returned to bed for some lovemaking.

.

At the end of the next day, there was something bothering Riggs. The fourth perp was caught in a bar. The owner called because the man was out of money and was begging for another drink and getting violent about it. Uniforms went in and collected him. In processing him, they found his fingerprints matched up with one of the guns found at that restaurant. Riggs took the interrogation with Murdock looking on. Going into the room, Riggs sat down across from him and asked, "Tough day, fella?"

The man snorted.

"Know why you were brought in?" Riggs asked.

"You tell me," the man grumbled.

"Initially, it was a public disturbance call. Normally, some time in the cooler, go pay a fine and you'd be on your way," Riggs said in a conversional tone." He then lowered his voice and said, "But we found your prints on a gun at the scene of an attempted robbery. You know, that fancy restaurant by the shore. One shot was fired out of it. The woman you shot in the chest. We call that attempted murder. But she didn't go down, did she? She did something that scared the living shit out of you. You dropped your gun and ran for your life."

By the man's open face, Riggs could tell he'd hit the nail on the head.

"You had the gun, you had her dead to rights. What did she do that made you flee like the devil was on your tail?"

The man swallowed. "You won't believe me."

"I've seen plenty of weird shit, lay it on me."

The man said in a loud whisper, "She didn't even slow her pace when I shot. I know I hit her. It was like she didn't even feel it! Her eyes, they glowed red. She said she was going to kill me. That was no human woman, she's a demon!"

"Did she chase you?"

"Didn't look back, I just ran as fast as I could … those eyes," he said vacantly. "She's coming to kill me."

"Lucky for you, you'll be protected in a nice, safe jail cell." Riggs told him. "She won't get you here."

With the man's confession on video, case closed. A trial and he was headed for jail.

.

Except for Riggs, the case wasn't closed. Red eyes? Taking a .38 special to the chest, and not even flinching, then walking out like nothing had happened? It seemed impossible, but there were witnesses who saw it.

Riggs had been shot before. Even with a vest and backing plate, it still hurt, and unless it was a .22 pistol, you did recoil from the impact. That woman described as maybe 110 pounds should have been knocked on her ass from a .38 at close range, even if she did have a vest and backing plate on, which he doubted. There was no doubt the man hit her, the head waiter had seen the bullet wound.

No wounded women matching her description ever showed up lying on the street or reported by any hospital. She'd stopped a robbery and took one in the chest, then simply walked away. It sounded impossible.

Going back to the restaurant, Riggs found the manager and asked about the woman, hoping to get some information on her. Since there had been a robbery attempt, the man didn't charge anyone eating there at the time, due to the upsetting disturbance. Riggs did get a look at the guest list. The head waiter was there and pointed out the couple's reservation.

John and Cameron Baum. Next, he went to the station and looked up their address. He did find a Sarah Baum living in a trailer park. It was a long shot, but it was all he had. He didn't seriously think anyone who could afford to go to a place that ritzy would live in a trailer park.

.

Especially this trailer park Riggs thought as he drove in. Every trailer looked old and in need to repair. He went to number 42. There was a pickup truck in the driveway. He parked beside it to see a tall dark haired man with a beer in his hand, in the yard cooking on the grill.

The man turned to him.

Riggs waved, "Hi, can I ask you a few questions?"

"Who are you?"

Riggs showed his badge. "Detective Riggs. Don't worry, no one's in trouble, at least I don't think so. Is Sarah Baum around?"

"Sorry, she's on vacation," the man said evenly.

"Do you know when she'll be back?" Riggs asked. Getting a sniff of the steaks he added, "That smells good."

"No, she didn't say," the man said, ignoring his comment about the food.

"I see. Can you tell me anything about Cameron Baum? Is she a daughter or something to Sarah?"

"Not that I know of."

Riggs detected a slight change in his voice. The man wasn't telling the truth. He gave the man his card and said, "Well, hey, if you hear from Sarah or Cameron, please call. We think Cameron got wounded in a robbery attempt, and she's not in any hospital. We just want to make sure she's all right and if possible, can identify the suspect we arrested."

The man took the card, but didn't look at it. "If I see or hear about either of them, I'll give you a call."

By the tone of his voice, Riggs knew he had no plans of doing so. "Thanks," he said. Riggs went to leave then stopped and added, "Oh, the manager of the place said no charge for the meal, due to the robbery attempt, so no one will be coming after John and Cameron for eating and running. Be sure to tell them."

"Got it," the man said.

Riggs went back to his car. He drove off seeing the man chuck his card into the fire. Right. His police instincts told him something was going on here. He itched to find out what that was. Noting the license plate on the truck, he went to find out who that guy was, and what his connection might be to John and Cameron Baum.

.

Talking with John Henry, Cameron discovered John Henry had tried to access the military IP where Sky Net was to be loaded, and found it no longer existed. It wasn't reassigned, it just went away. In fact all traces of what he'd discovered before were gone. They were back to square one.

Cameron did find plenty of information on human eggs. Humans themselves didn't know the full mechanics about how eggs worked, but she did learn that the DNA strands in the core of the egg were only half there, and completed themselves with the half in the sperm cell they accepted. Somehow, the DNA strands from both combined in the correct way to make a whole cell with all the information on how to grow a human. That cell grew and split at a fast rate, and became a fetus, then a baby.

Not knowing how an egg did this, Cameron focused on using nanites to perform this function. From what she could tell, it was possible. The DNA she had was from Allison Young. Every cell held what should be, and a complete chart of an entire human, so she had to split the DNA in one of biological cells to make an egg. Nanites could do this. They would also have to perform the function of allowing only one of John's sperm cells into the egg to fertilize it, and repair the cell walls once that sperm cell was inside. The DNA would have to be properly mated by nanites also. It was going to take her a long time to figure how to properly do that, but she did discover a way she could indeed have John's child.

.

Derek Reese. That was the man's name at that trailer park. He'd had a truck stolen from him that ended up at a crime scene, and the address that was on the registration was an empty lot. That keyed Riggs that there was much more going on here than anyone saw. The man had no arrest warrants or convictions. In fact, other than the one item, there was nothing on him at all.

"Damn," Riggs grumbled and sat back to stare at his computer screen. Looking up Sarah Baum, he found she had been shot and had her car stolen also. Sarah also disappeared out of the hospital. She'd been shot and had surgery, then vanished right after. He had nothing on John or Cameron Baum.

These were invisible people who lived below the radar. Riggs got that. They did their best to stay out of any limelight, even when seriously wounded, or thwarted a robbery. By rights, Cameron Baum should be in the news being praised for what she did. She didn't, she slipped away from the scene with a bullet in her chest. Why she did that was just as mysterious as how she managed it.

If this was a crime organization, they were completely unknown. That didn't make sense, because the head waiter told them Cameron had offered him a gun to protect himself with. She had all by insisted he take it. When he didn't she unloaded the gun, tossed it down and left it.

His phone rang. "Detective Riggs," he said, expecting it to be his partner or the Captain.

"Detective," a female voice said. "Leave Cameron Baum alone. Do not look into her any further. You don't want to know." *click*

Riggs stared at his phone. He tried to do a call back but no number came up. That was odd. Not only no number, but the fact anyone knew he was looking into Cameron Baum. Maybe Reese had contacted them? That had to be it. What the woman has said wasn't a threat. Just he didn't want to know. Were they connected to the government in some way?

That would explain some things, but not everything. His curiosity about her peeked.

.

A few days later, Riggs went to a bar just to relax for a bit. At a table, he saw a very becoming dark haired woman. Nice slim shape and pretty, yet she seemed to have a permanent frown on her face. She was staring at the bottom of her empty beer bottle. Riggs noted the brand and went over to the bar to get two more.

"Here, you look like you need this," he said and offered her one of the beers.

She looked up and cast her frown at him. "Thanks," she took the beer.

Riggs sat down and asked, "It can't be that bad, can it?" He also noted she wasn't wearing any rings.

"What?" she asked.

"You look like you just lost your only friend," he said, and extending his hand. "Name's Mark."

Looking like it took monumental effort, she shook his hand. "Sarah."

Riggs regarded her for a moment, then said, "You know the whole point of coming to a bar?"

Sarah eyed him and said, "Tell me."

"The way I see it, there's one good reason to come to a bar," Riggs said. "That being you can go ahead and bitch to a complete stranger about what's bothering you, and you don't hurt anyone's feeling."

Sarah snorted out a laugh. "OK, so you got something to bitch about?"

"Always!" he announced. "Take the neighbor's daughter. I'm old enough to be her father, but she's got this crush from hell on me. I'm not saying she looks bad, but she's jail bait! The LAST thing I need is for an angry father to come to the door with a shotgun, or call the police on me," he said and let out a huff.

Sarah chuckled. "That is a problem," she said with a snort.

"It is," he agreed. "I usually wait until dinner time to rush home and get inside. I'm out first thing in the morning too. The less I see if her, the better."

Wearing a smirk, Sarah said, "You do have problems."

"Too many," he agreed and took a swig of beer.

Sarah paused and said, "Right now, it's my daughter-in-law." With a shake of her head, she said," I know my son loves her but she's … frustrating! I really have to wonder about if she is the right one for my son."

Mark shrugged and said, "Hey, if nothing else, you can be there for him if things go bad for him, right? What is she, an air head?"

"Just the opposite," Sarah grumbled. "Miss Perfectionist. I can't even make a meal without her coming behind me to 'make it better'. She constantly cleans, and she loves to get me riled up with stupid comments."

Mark chuckled, "That certainly sounds irritating," he agreed. "I take it they live with you?"

Sarah nodded. Waving her bottle, she said, "Don't get me wrong, she is totally dedicated to my son. She just drives me up the wall. It's like she knows exactly what to do to get me irritated."

Mark laughed and asked, "I take it she wants more 'alone ' time with your son?"

Casting him a firm gaze, Sarah said, "She's a pervert."

Mark dropped his head on his arm s he chuckled helplessly. "I'm sorry," he said a chuckled some more. "But that is funny. I take it she like to ride the hobby horse?"

Rolling her eyes Sarah said, "Yes, and at times in very inappropriate places."

"That has to be embarrassing," Mark agreed. "But hey, keep a blanket with you."

"Why a blanket?"

"So you can throw it over them. That, or a bucket of cold water," he said with a grin.

Sarah laughed at that.

"What do you say we go grab a bite to eat? I'll pay," Mark offered.

"I don't know," Sarah said.

"Aww, come on!" Mark cried. "Everyone else says no, be original, say yes!"

His comment made her smile. "All right. Nothing fancy," she agreed.

Mark raised an eyebrow. "On my budget? You've got to be kidding. I was thinking that greasy spoon just down the street."

"Greasy spoon?" Sarah asked with a raised eyebrow.

With a shrug he said, "It's not called that. It's one of those old trailer diners. The place looks like hell, but the food is good and inexpensive."

.

Sarah decided she liked this guy. He was fairly handsome and he was in top shape. She decided to go with him. Like he said, the place looked like it came out of the 50's. The whole place looked worn, but the service and the food was good. Sarah had a good time. Mark was rather handsome and he had a quick wit.

"So, can we do this again some time?" Mark asked.

Sarah went to nod and caught herself. "Mark, I … don't do to well in relationships," she said tentatively.

"Me either. But hey, we're just hanging out, aren't we?" Mark asked. "I like talking to you and hanging out with you. Besides, if you daughter -in-law does something to really get you irritated, you can always come yell at me. I can also tell Rebecca next door that I got a girlfriend and make her back off some. It's good for you and good for me. So …. How about it?"

What Sarah saw was Mark was desperately looking for some companionship. Much like she was. The thing was, she didn't want to get attached to anyone else. It always turned out bad. "Mark, I really have to think about it. OK?"

"Hey, that's fine," he said. He grabbed a napkin and wrote down phone numbers. "If you feel like hanging out or just want to talk, give me a call. How's that?" he asked and slipped her the napkin.

Sarah nodded and pocketed the napkin. "All right. Thanks for dinner."

"My pleasure," he beamed.

While Mark went up and paid the check, Sarah slipped out.

.

Roger Tollgate went to the meeting expecting more people. The tall, wide man who was their boss, Mr. Carn looked over the gathering. Only fifteen people attended, That was all that was left of them. Mr. Carn cast her stern face over them and said, "Have we found who was responsible?"

"No," Roger said. "Things happened too fast. By the time we got there, the whole place was leveled and cops were coming. We've been looking for clues, but we found noting. I'm thinking it was Zeira, getting back at us for destroying their AI."

"No," Mr. Carn stated. "Zeira is being watched. "They also do not have the military contracts to put a small army in the field. There were at least two mortars and one armored vehicle that attacked our facility, with supporting fire. Everyone is to look for Sarah and John Connor. It is imperative they be found and killed."

"Sarah Connor is dead, she died years ago in a bank explosion," Roger told him.

"Negative," Carn stated. "There is a school picture of John Connor, who is now going by the name of John Baum. Unless these people are found and killed, our project will never be finished and none of you will get paid."

"Didn't that facility have professional mercs for guars after someone got in?" the bearded man asked.

"They did, and Connor went in with more force," Carn stated. "Find John and Sarah Connor, kill them. Only then can we achieve out goal."

"No one ever said world domination was easy," Roger offered. "Do we know where they are?"

"Southern California. Finding them is up to you. Use every resource and eliminate them."


	12. Chapter 12

CH 12

It was two weeks before Cameron's flesh healed up. Lying naked on the bed on her side, John lay behind her in a spoon, slowly petting up and down her side as they both looked at John's laptop. On the laptop, Cameron's program she'd installed was running. On the screen, a sperm cells were wiggling towards the round egg cell that was surrounded by nanites.

"Go boys go!" John said with a smirk.

Cameron watched with anticipation. The sperm cells collected around the egg. One wiggled it's way in. Immediately the nanites locked together to form a shield around the cell. Inside the cell other nanites guided the sperm cell to the nucleus. There the sperm cell came apart, releasing DNA into the egg cell's DNA. The strands mixed together. Slowly, the DNA strands came together like zippers. A new covering formed around the DNA and the new cell split. The nutrients in the egg cell fed the new cell. It split again, and again.

"It works!" Cameron cried.

John hugged her. "That's great, you did it!" he cried. "Seeing all that action though, I'm getting a bit thirsty."

Cameron rolled over on her back. Sliding his hand up to her breast, she said, "Then take a drink."

Gazing at her, he gently rubbed her breast and asked, "You can have babies now?"

"As soon as my ovaries are finished, I can load this program in, and yes, John, we can have children."

They kissed deeply. Pulling back to gaze at each other, they chorused, "I love you and you love me," John got a long, slow drink, then they proceeded to practice making a baby.

.

Sarah was thinking about Mark. She had a good time with him. He was pleasant, funny and handsome. Looking at the napkin, she pondered if she should call him. Part of her wanted to. Then again, she knew what would happen if they suddenly had to flee. Kyle died protecting her. Charlie was a good man, and she had to leave him to keep John safe. Was Mark going to be one more she left behind, or be forced to watch him die? She couldn't handle that again.

The soft sound of bed springs bouncing came to her. She rubbed her face, they were at it again? She really needed to find something constructive for John and Cameron to do. Until then, she decided to go visit Derek instead of sitting here listening to two perverted teenagers.

Taking the blue van, Sarah went to do some shopping first. She went in the three story department store and took her time looking around. Knowing Derek and Jesse still needed a couch, she bought one and ordered it delivered. Coming out of the store, she stopped short.

There was a crowd of people around a fire truck and some police. Everyone was looking up. Walking into the lot, she saw a man in the edge of the roof. Standing tight behind him was Mark. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but it looked like Mark was trying to coax the man away from the edge.

A cop with a bullhorn said, "Please, Sir! Step away from the edge. Whatever it is, is not worth dying. Let us help you."

The man looked down at them. Mark stepped out on the edge with him.

"What's he doing?" Sarah asked herself. He could fall!

Mark and the nervous man talked a bit more. The man snapped at Mark. Mark grabbed him by the collar and yelled. "Do you really wanna jump? Do you wanna? Let's do it, asshole, Let's do it!"

Mark then threw himself off the roof, dragging the man with him.

Heart in her throat, Sarah watched them fall. The man screamed all the way down. They hit an airbag the fire department set up.

Immediately, police deflated the bag and ran over to cuff the man. Mark wore a big grin and asked, "That was fun! Wanna go again?"

A cop pointed to the side and red faced in anger, yelled at Mark, "Get over here!"

Mark cast him a confused look. "What? You wanted him down, he's down."

Sure Mark was about to be arrested, Sarah ran over and asked in a hard tone, "What the HELL was that?"

Mark turned to her. "Hey, Sarah! That was a real …"

"Do yourself a favor and shut up!" Sarah snapped. Mark cast her a confused look. To the cops, she said, "I have to take him to his appointment. I am sorry, I lost track of him," she said as she grabbed Mark's arm. "It won't happen again. I'll make sure his psychiatrist does a re-evaluation."

The cop stared at her.

"It will be fine, we have to go now," she said, and dragged Mark away.

Mark turned back to the cop and grinned.

Pulling him away from the crowd, Sarah asked "You idiot! What made you do that? You could have been killed!"

Mark shrugged and said, "He wasn't going to come down by himself, and I saw the bag was there. It was the only way I saw to save his life."

Sarah didn't think that was quite true. She frowned at him.

"I got an idea," Mark said eagerly and clasped her hand with both if his. "Promise to meet me later at that bar, and I promise I won't jump off any more roofs. How about it?"

"So you're using that stupid stunt to beg for a date?" she asked.

"I could get down on my knees of you want," he offered.

Sarah had to laugh at the way he said it. "Ok, but no more diving off rooftops, got it?" she said firmly.

Mark nodded. "Just for you. Say six?" he asked.

"Six," Sarah agreed.

"Great! I got to get back to work, I'll see you at six."

Sarah jerked on his arm and said, "Stay clear of the cops, just go back inside. I'll be mad if you're sitting in jail instead of buying me a beer."

"I won't get arrested, promise," he said with a smirk, holding up his hand as if to swear.

Sarah shook her head and left.

.

Mark watched her get in her car and go. Heading back, he met Murdock, who didn't look happy with him. "Mind telling me what that was about?" he asked, jerking a thumb at the roof.

Mark smile and said, "I got a date. Wanna go grab some lunch?"

"You're friggin nuts," Murdock grumbled.

After lunch they went back to the office to get some paperwork done. Murdock looked over at Riggs. "That girlfriend of yours. She doesn't know you're a cop, does she?"

"Not yet," Mark said. "Yeah, I know, I'll have to break it to her some time." He frowned and added, "That's always the killer."

"It's better telling her sooner, than later," Murdock offered.

"So says you," Mark replied. "I'd like to spend some decent time with her before she flees."

"Maybe she won't mind. Ever think of that?"

"She will," Mark told him. "She looked kind of frantic when she pulled me away from the uniforms." He then grinned and said, "But she did. That tells me she's got some substance to her."

"Yeah, well you need to tell her."

"I will. Eventually," Mark said defensively.

.

Sarah made her way to the trailer. No one was home. She waited a short while and Derek and Jesse pulled in. he went inside with them and showed them the store receipt for the couch. "It should be here tomorrow. "Any news?"

"Not much. Some cop came looking for Cameron," Derek told her. "Said he was worried about her being wounded in an attempted robbery."

"So, nothing then," Sarah stated.

"Anything on Sky Net?" Jesse asked.

"Not a thing," Sarah told her. "I am tempted to think we did get rid of it. All we can do is keep looking though."

"This is worse than fighting it," Derek said in a snort. "I'd like to know for sure."

"Me too, but we don't know," Sarah said. "I'm going to check on the kids, see you soon."

.

Going home Sarah saw Cameron in the kitchen, again wearing a shit-eating grin. "Let me guess, another date?" she asked.

"Yes, a celebration," Cameron said.

"Celebrating what?" Sarah prodded.

Casting her a smile, Cameron said, "Sorry, I can't tell you. This time we're going someplace local. We also have no news about Sky Net. John Henry has managed to put a tracker on the military network through a server. If there is any activity, he will know."

Sarah nodded. "That's something," she admitted.

"I can fix you something before we go," Cameron offered.

"Thanks but no, I'm going out too" Sarah told her.

.

Sarah met Mark at the bar. He already had a table, and called for another beer as soon as Sarah walked in. Right after she sat down, he put it in her hand.

"She's up to something," Sarah grumbled.

"Uh oh, the daughter-in-law?" Mark asked.

"Yeah," Sarah grumbled. She then looked at him squarely and said, "At least she's not jumping off roofs."

Mark shrugged and said, "My job's boring. I have to have some excitement."

Sarah cast him a crooked grin and said, "Take care of my son and his wife for a week."

"That bad, huh?"

"I just get tired of their constant touchy-feely. No matter what they're doing, they are … horny teenagers." Sarah said, then frowned at the table.

'Teenagers are like that," Mark offered. He intoned, "Nothing can be done, it's the hormones."

"In John's case," Sarah said to herself. What she just admitted to with Cameron make her think. Cameron was also acting like a horny teenager. Had she truly developed that much?

"Just curious, but how old are they?" Mark asked.

"Sixteen," Sarah said in a huff. "Going to be seventeen soon."

Mark eyed her. "Your daughter-in-law, she's on birth control, I hope?"

"There is no danger of her becoming pregnant," Sarah assured him

"And this girl is your daughter-in-law?"

Sarah took a swig. "She is. I know they are devoted to each other. Believe me, I grilled them hard to find out," she told him. "John has not had an easy life, and well, he has known her for a few years, so if she can bring him some happiness, I can't really interfere."

"Sounds like you're doing your best," Mark agreed. His phone buzzed with a message. Looking at it he said, "Damn, just remembered, I got a spot on the shooting range scheduled for seven. You wouldn't want to come with me … would you?"

Sarah perked up and asked, "Straight target shooting or a tactical range?"

"Targets, out to fifty yards. Whoever scores the best, buys a few rounds?" he asked.

Sarah grew a grin. "You're on."

"We're a little early, but we can grab a bite then go."

Sarah got up and held her hand out. "Let's go."

.

Going to the greasy spoon, they took counter seats and had burgers and fries. Their discussion turned to guns.

"You like the glocks?" Sarah asked.

Mark frowned. "Not really. Call me old fashion, but I don't trust those plastic things. A good all metal Smith and Wesson 9mm is the best all around pistol. They don't break."

"But they are reliable," Sarah countered.

"So's a 1911, but those are a bit big and you only get 8 shots," Mark countered. In a serious tone he said, "If you drop a glock, you could well break the detent on the safety. Do that and as soon as you pull the trigger, it goes full auto. Not. Safe. An all metal pistol won't do that."

"Mom?" John asked, coming up behind her.

Mark turned to see him and a lovely young girl holding hands.

Sarah waved as she talked, "Mark, this is John and Cameron, Kids, Mark. We're going to the range later."

"Hi," Mark offered. Immediately he noted the names. Cameron also fit the description of the wounded woman. He also noted she was eyeing him unkindly.

"Hello, Mark Riggs," Cameron said flatly.

"Have we met?" Mark asked.

"Not directly," Cameron stated.

"Cameron, do you know him?" Sarah asked.

"No. let's go, John."

"Have fun, we're heading back," John said with a grin. "See you at home." They headed for the door.

"Cameron doesn't seem very friendly," Mark noted.

"She's like that with people she just met, don't pay any attention to her," Sarah offered.

.

John and Cameron got outside. When they were out of sight, Cameron stopped John and said, "He's a cop."

John stared at her. "That guy with Mom?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, his badge is in his back pocket. Detective Mark Riggs. He was looking for me. I'm going to follow them," Cameron stated.

John looked back and said, "We should follow them."

"He might be leading Sarah into trouble," Cameron said.

"He might not have any clue who she is," John countered.

"By his reaction, he recognized me from someplace. We have to find out what he wants," Cameron told him.

"All right, we follow him," John agreed. "But we don't do anything unless he does."

They walked towards the van. John asked, "Cam, you think Mom's going to take the van?"

"We'll hide in the back."

They got in and waited, peeking out to see watch for Mark And Sarah. Sure enough Sarah came over to the van. Laying on the floor in the back. Thy listened to Sarah start up and drive off.

.

Paying attention behind him, Mark noted Sarah's lights following him. He also noted another car following her. At first, he wasn't sure. When he made the turn into the range parking lot, he became sure. He parked and quickly got out. Sarah parked and the car that had been following them pulled up behind her with the high beams on.

"Sarah Connor?" a loud voice asked. He saw a door to the car open. He also saw a gun. "Gun!" he yelled and pulled his own.

The back of the van flew open. Cameron shot out and onto the hood of the car. The man raised his gun, she kicked it from his hand then jumped down behind him. In the same smooth motion, she grabbed him and swung him around to plant him hard against the car.

Riggs ran over. "Freeze!" he yelled to Cameron. It was then he saw the man was limp.

Cameron cast him a blank look. "The temperature is too warm," she said blankly.

"Bring him over here, onto the hood." Mark directed. He cuffed the man and looked for ID. "Let's see who you are," he said finding a wallet.

"Cameron, status!" Sarah barked, holding up her own glock.

"His gun is back there, behind his car. The threat is neutralized," Cameron reported flatly.

"Don't pick it up" Mark told her. "Let me get it." Sure the man wasn't going anywhere, Mark took out a handkerchief and went back to pick the gun up. Returning to the man, he looked through the wallet and said, "Ralph Southworth, and he has no carry permit. Anyone know him?"

"No."

Sarah and John shook their head also.

The man groaned. His nose was leaking blood down the hood.

Mark let out a frustrated sigh and said, "You folks better go. I'll handle this."

John quickly said, "He was mistaking Mom for someone else."

Mark looked closer at John. Connor? These were the Connors? Their mug shots would match, if it was nine years ago. "Sarah, you need to take John at lease and get out of here," he said firmly.

"John, go," Cameron said firmly.

Sarah and John left. Cameron looked down on the man. "He was going to assassinate Sarah," she stated.

"That's what it looked like. Why kill Sarah?" Mark asked.

"He's a gray."

"What's a gray?"

"Humans that work for Sky Net. I need to interrogate him," Cameron stated.

"I have no idea that that means," Mark told her. He only got a blank stare, so he asked, "You think you can get information out of him?"

The man groaned again. Mark pulled him upright by his collar. "Bad night, Ralph?" he asked. "It's about to get worse." he turned Ralph to face Cameron. "She's got something special for you if you don't answer a few questions."

"Fuck you!" Ralph growled.

"Sorry, not into scumbags, your ass isn't even cute," Mark replied.

"Ralph Southworth," Cameron intoned and took a step towards him. Her eyes glowed red as she asked, "Who do you work for?" The man recoiled into Mark, who recoiled back. He had to struggle to keep both of them on their feet.

"Traitor!" Ralph spit.

"I think you better answer, she looks pissed." Mark said in his ear.

"You will be turned into slag!" Ralph yelled at Cameron. Cameron grabbed him by the throat and lifted. "Answer me, or don't breathe," she intoned.

Mark saw she was lifting him by one extended arm. Damn, this girl was strong! "Better do as she says," he said lightly.

The man was turning purple in the face, Cameron set him down on his feet, but didn't let him collapse. "Name. Now." she intoned.

By choking him a couple times, Cameron got him to say his boss was named Roger Tollgate. He worked for a man named Carn. He had no first name for Carn. Cameron went to leave.

"Cameron!" Mark called, "Get in my car. I'll get a couple patrolmen to take him in, we need to talk about this."

Cameron turned and went to his car.

It was a few minutes before the patrolmen came. Mark charged him will illegal position of a firearm and threatening bodily harm by waving his gun. The patrol took him in.

Going over to his own car after Ralph was taken away, he got in and said, "Thanks for waiting. Who are these grays?"

In her monotone, Cameron said, "They work for a AI we know as Sky Net. Sky Net plans to wipe out humanity by releasing all the nuclear weapons. That will kill billions of people. We have been fighting to stop them. Why are you interested in Sarah?"

Mark thought that was an odd thing to stick on the end of her statement. "I like her. That's why I sent her and John away." Eyeing Cameron he said, "You, Sarah, John, you're the Connors? You aren't dead."

"No."

"You know where this Sky Net is?"

"We think we destroyed it. We re not sure. Sky Net's minions are still around," Cameron said.

Mark nodded and said, . "OK, they are hunting you. So that's why after that robbery attempt you stopped at that fancy eatery, you got outta dodge."

Cameron tipped her head slightly and stared at him.

"You left the restaurant," he added.

"Yes, John and I cannot be found by them. We may have to move since one found us."

"What's with the eyes?"

Firmly, Cameron said, "Sarah is not crazy. There are terminators, human machines that Sky Net made. I no longer work for Sky Net. I work for John. I am TOK714."

"Anyone else know about these grays or terminators? Anyone in law enforcement, I mean?" Mark asked.

"Agent Aldridge FBI." Cameron stated.

"Let's give him a call," Mark said and drug out his phone.

.

Mark called and talked to Agent Aldridge. As they talked, Mark kept on looking over at Cameron like he wasn't quite believing what he was hearing. He agreed to keep the FBI man informed about whatever he found.

After Mark got off the phone with him, he nodded slowly. "So, getting shot really didn't affect you."

"Correct. I am armor plated on the inside," Cameron stated.

Mark let out a snort and said, "It's tough to swallow, but, I seen the eyes and got the proof you were shot. OK, so this Carn guy and Mr. Tollgate are the bad guys helping this Sky Net." Dropping his head onto the head rest, he added, "There's only one problem. Unless they did, or do something, we can't arrest them. No judge is going to prosecute someone for something they will do."

"I will take care of it," Cameron told him.

"Ok, hold on," Mark said evenly. "Many crooks are caught not on the fact they killed someone or ran drugs, but on the silly shit. Income tax fraud, poking the neighbors 16 year old, some other crime they get caught for. Like this guy tonight. He's not going away because he intended to kill someone, he's going away on a weapons charge. The point is, he's going away. We'll look for these guys, and look for dirt on them. We find the dirt, get them arrested, then you, John, and Sarah stay clean. What about this Sky Net?"

"We think we destroyed it. We don't know for sure. Detective Riggs, I must neutralize any threats to John," Cameron said firmly.

"I get that," he assured her. "I'm just saying we might be able to do it, and not endanger him or Sarah or make them get hunted by the law again. I like seeing Sarah outside of jail and unhurt. I'm sure you'd like to see John the same way." Leaning closer, he asked, "How about it? That will be less threat to either of them."

Cameron eyed him for a moment, then said, "I will cooperate with your plan if I am able."

Mark clapped and said, "Good! We find the scumbags, then find out what they are up to." He looked at the shooting range for a moment then said, "I'm going to go check out some gear we'll need. What do you think they are up to besides trying to kill Sarah?"

"They want to kill John as well and bring Sky Net on line," Cameron said.

"Can you get another car?" Mark asked.

"Yes."

Mark thought and said, "Do it, if Ralph's lawyer is in on it, then they know you have a blue van and the plate number. I want to borrow your van to see who tries to put holes in it."

Cameron tipped her head slightly. "You want to set up a dummy target for them."

Mark winked and said, "If we catch them in the act, all the better."

"I will talk to Sarah and John about it."

.

John watched warily from the passenger side as Sarah drove and beat on the steering wheel.

"FUCK FUCK FUUUCK!" Sarah screamed at nothing. "I can't believe I was out with a COP!"

"Mom, calm down," John said as he eyed her and the road. He'd put his seat belt on, just in case.

"Of all the STUPID things I could have done!" Sarah raged as tears shook from her eyes. "Why didn't I just say, HERE I AM TAKE ME BACK TO THE LOONY BIN, right after we FINISH OUR DATE!" she wailed as she threw a hand in the air.

"Mom! Get a grip! You didn't know, OK?" John cried.

"HOW FUCKING STUPID CAN I BE?" she wailed.

"MOM!" John shouted, "Ease up! We're away, all right? No one's following us."

Hunched over the wheel Sarah spit out, "If Cameron kills him, it's MY fault! John, I'm sorry."

"Mom, he was focused on that guy with the gun, OK? I don't think he recognized us."

"He did John," Sarah stated. "I saw it in his eyes."

"Then why did he tell us to leave?" John asked.

"He saw my gun, John," Sarah said and started talking to herself. "He probably didn't want to deal with an escaped mental patient who had a gun. We can't go back to the trailer, yes, the warehouse. We pack what we can and go before he brings SWAT down on us. You have one of Cameron's bank cards…"

"Mom, Cameron is still back there, I'm not going to leave her."

"You have to, John. Cameron will find her way back. This van, we have to dump it…"

"Mom!" John was about to try to yell some sense into her. Instead, he said, "OK, go inside and lock the doors I'll loose the van, OK?"

"We can take off into the desert to that army depot."

"Mom, the dozer is about out of gas and it's a long walk out there," John said, trying to reason with her. "No one knows about the warehouse. Inside the warehouse, we're safe, OK? Go ahead and go in, I'll dump the van."

Sarah drove up around to the back of the warehouse and parked by the back door. John got out with her.

"Mom, it's OK, just give me the keys," John coaxed.

He had to listen to his mother's specific instructions to 'drive by' and look for Cameron. If he didn't see her, he was to keep on going, then steal another car and come back. John agreed to anything, as long as she gave him the keys.

.

Sitting on the hood of Mark's car, waiting for John to return for her like she knew he would, Cameron said, "Why do you readily accept what myself and Agent Aldridge told you?"

Mark shrugged. "If I was to just hear it, that's one thing. I have had proof. No one just keeps walking after they get shot in the chest. No one your size can lift a full grown man with one arm, and that eye thing you do is pretty weird too. Whatever you are, you're not human. I have to accept you're something else. Either that, or you'd be so high on drugs you'd be dead by now. Since you're not, you're something else."

Mark noted a van pull into the parking lot. "Is that John?" he asked.

Cameron looked "Yes."

"You people have another car?"

"We will. Wait here, I'll bring the van back."

The van pulled up and stopped. Cameron opened the driver's door. John moved over.

"Don't be too long," Mark called.

"We won't."

.

Cameron drove down to do another 'midnight sale' at a closed used car dealership. This one had lojacks on all it's cars, but it wasn't hard for Cameron to disable it and put it in the salesman's desk. She also left a card swipe with the money for the car, taxes and tags, so it was more or less a legitimate sale.

The Jeep Cameron 'bought' was a four door. She drove back to the lot where Mark was in the van, gave him the keys, then went home with John. Mark parked the van around in back of the building for now.

.

Returning to the station, Mark was expecting a lawyer in for Ralph Southworth before he got there. He was surprised one hadn't showed up yet. Since he was booked and no lawyer came, Mark did the paperwork to keep caught up and wait for a lawyer. Still none came.

Sitting down across from him, Murdock asked, "So you go to the range and this guy jumps out of his car threatening to kill some woman. How'd you get so lucky?"

"Right place at the wrong time," Mark said with a shrug.

"That happens a lot to you."

"At least we got him," Mark said.

What we got is a nobody," Murdock said. "I've been looking. No rap sheet, no address, no nothing. That guy doesn't exist."

Mark let out a snort and said, "Not surprised." He looked to see no one else was in ear shot and said, "I heard some information on Southworth's bosses. Remember our iron maiden from the restaurant?"

"You found her?"

"Yeah. She snagged Southworth. Kicked the gun out of his hand and had him pinned in seconds flat. When I say, iron maiden, that's exactly what I mean. Saw the red eyes too. That was freaky. Had a little chat with her. Southworth and some of his buddies are after her mother-in-law. Got a couple names I'm going to check out. If they come up on the radar, I'll be surprised," Mark told him.

Murdock leaned towards him. "You think they got contracts on her and the mother?"

"Not normal ones," Mark told him and did a name search for Roger Tollgate. "I gave what I had to an FBI guy, he's interested too."

"If the FBI is involved, it's their case."

Mark cast him a grin and said, "He asked me to help. I got the blue van the mother was driving. A couple made up dummies, and we'll go trolling for assassins."

"Riggs, it's not our case," Murdock stated.

"Yeah, but it might be fun."

"So how are you going to drive that van, and not get shot at?" Murdock asked.

Mark cast him a pleading look and asked, "Awww, you'll help us, won't you? We are after bad guys." He then paused and looked at his screen. "Ohhh, got one. R. Tollgate, 412 Hill street."

"How do you know it's the right one?" Murdock asked.

"Easy! We drive a blue minivan with the right plates right past his house and see if he shoots at it."

"And who's driving this van?" Murdock asked in a rough tone.

Mark only smiled at him.

.

Cameron and John got home to the warehouse and found Sarah nursing a beer at the kitchen counter.

"We got a jeep, only 2 years old," John said.

"You dumped the van, key in it?' Sarah asked.

"Detective Riggs has it," Cameron stated.

"What?" Sarah asked. "John, you went back there?"

"I picked up Cameron. The cop is going to try to lure the people after us to shoot at it," John explained.

"He wants to bait them to shoot at it so he can arrest them," Cameron explained.

"He probably wants it for fingerprint so he can identify us," Sarah stated.

"No, he already knows who we are, Sarah," Cameron said as she went to the refrigerator. "I told him all about us."

"WHY did you do that!" Sarah snapped.

Cameron paused at the refrigerator door to say, "So he can remove the grays without us becoming involved. It will be safer for you and John." She then looked in the refrigerator and got out the milk and chocolate syrup. She got a glass down, filed it with milk, then added the chocolate and stirred it up. She downed it in one long pull.

*burp*

Watching, Sarah asked, "Dare I ask why you are drinking chocolate milk?"

"I found John sleeps a little better when he has warm chocolate to drink before bed," Cameron explained, then cast her a brief smile. She grabbed John's hand and towed him into the bedroom.

"Then why did you …" Sarah stopped. She knew why Cameron drank it. So she could feed John. "Pervert," she grumbled.

.

Mark drove down Tollgate's street in the blue van with a mannequin on the passenger side. He made sure the curly dark haired wig matched Sarah's hair, and the sunglasses were big and dark. Watching house numbers as he went along just below the speed limit, Mark kept a close eye on the people he saw out and about. He passed the house, not seeing anyone out front. Three blocks later when he turned to circle a block, he noted he'd picked up a tail.

"I caught a fish, dark blue Toyota, half a block back," Mark said in his radio.

"Lot's clear, we're set." came the reply.

Mark drove towards the closed store parking they had selected. The lot was surrounded by a chain link fence that was overgrown with plants. There was only one exit for the lot. Looking back at the car following him, Mark coaxed, "Come on, come get me."

Mark slowed and even used a turn signal to swing into the lot. He passed the police car hiding behind the entrance, parked and got out. The Toyota came in behind him. Mark saw two men in the car. The driver's eyes grew wide. Apparently he noticed the police car now right behind them.

"STOP!" Mark barked, taking aim at the driver. The man panicked and stomped on the gas to run Mark over. Mark rolled out of the way and came up shooting. He got both back tires and a front one, making the car slew around toward the exit. The police car blocked the exit, the officers piled out and drew down on the Toyota.

"Drop your weapons NOW!" one of the cops called on his bullhorn.

With three guns on them and nowhere to go, the driver stopped and held his hands up out of the window. The passenger dropped a shotgun out the window.

Soon, the men were dragged out of the car and planted face down on the hood. Mark found another pistol on the driver. "Don't suppose you got a permit for that, do you?" Mark asked. Looking at their wallets, he said, "Mr. Tollgate, Mr. Sanders you both are in felony possession of firearms. But, hey! We have a prize for you! You get a free ride in an official State Vehicle as well as some fun filled nights in our crowbar hotel! Or, you can come clean about why you were attempting to follow me."

Both men stayed silent.

"Have it your way," Mark said with a shrug. He read them their rights, found a knife on the shotgun toting passenger, then stuffed them in the squad car. Going though the Toyota, he found a cell phone and got the numbers off it. Under the seat was another semi-auto pistol. It was enough to book the men and impound the car.

In the interrogation room, neither man would say anything. Even after leaving them in that room for four hours with the heat turned up to 90, neither cracked.

Mr. Tollgate used his phone call. Instead of a lawyer, he only spoke briefly to someone. "The van is a trap," he told the other person and hung up.

Mark convinced his Captain they were trying to assassinate someone, and with the evidence he had so far, his Captain agreed. That got Mark the permission to go after whoever was involved and apply for any warrants he needed.

.

They needed supplies, but Sarah wasn't going to leave the house fearing she was going to run into 'that cop' again. John and Cameron made a list and told Sarah they were heading out to the store. Walking out the back of the warehouse, John stopped short. Their blue van was parked beside the Jeep. Mark peeked around the side and waved.

"Hey, I'm done with it, so I brought it back," he said with a grin.

"How did you find us?" John asked in disbelief.

Mark frowned at him. "Give me a break, huh? I AM a detective," he said, sounding hurt. Holding up the van keys he asked, "Who gets these?"

Cameron held her hand out. Mark tossed her the keys. She caught them.

"Did you find anyone?" John asked.

"Collared two. We got Tollgate and his butt-buddy Sanders. I also convinced the Captain we're looking at an attempted assassination, so now we can get a little more aggressive. I'd really like to put a close watch on you and Sarah until we round these guys up. By the number of calls and stops we've already seen at Tollgate's house, there is quite a few of them."

The door opened and Sarah appeared to say, "John don't forget..." she then froze, seeing Mark.

"Hey, Sarah," Mark said with a smile and a wave.

"What are you doing here!" Sarah hissed.

Casting Sarah a confused look, Mark jerked a thumb behind him at the van and said, "Returning your van. My mother taught me to return stuff when I'm done using it."

Sarah cast a glare at Cameron. "You told him where we live?" she asked in an accusing tone.

Cameron turned to Sarah and said, "He is a detective. He figured it out for himself."

Sarah flushed. She had no idea what to do now.

"Sarah? I was just telling John that until we get these guys that are after you, I'd like to stick around and keep a close eye out for them," Mark told her.

"I'm not going back," Sarah stated, glaring at him.

"Back? Where?"

"The nut house."

Mark shook his head. "No, you're not crazy," he offered. "Least, not any crazier than me."

"What can we do to help catch these grays?" John asked.

"Unless you can find this Carn, not much," Mark told him. "Just do your thing and watch yourself. The van will be safe to drive around now, the bad guys have identified it as a trap."

Cameron did some quick calculating and said, "Sarah, you should stay near Detective Riggs."

Sarah eyed her.

"That's a good idea," Mark agreed. "It won't be exciting, but you'll be safe."

Sarah eyed Mark.

"You know, Mom, that isn't a bad idea at all," John added, which got Sarah to glower at him.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Sarah asked in a growl.

"No, Mom! Look, Cameron is always with me, right? You don't have anyone to protect you. Even if it's to just spot possible threats, He's someone to help keep you safe," John reasoned.

"I'd feel better keeping an eye on you," Mark said. "There's things I have to do, so come on," he said and held his hand out to Sarah.

Sarah cringed at the idea of riding around in a police car.

"Look at it this way," Mark offered, "If you're riding around with me, you won't have to watch them being horny teenagers."

Cameron smirked.

Mark's phone rang. "Riggs ... great, when? I'll meet you there." He hung up and walked over to Sarah. "Sarah, you'll know if you find Sky Net stuff, right?" he asked and towed her in a walk.

"Yes, you found something?" she asked.

"Maybe," he agreed as he pulled her towards his car.

"Where are we going?" Sarah asked as Mark opened the passenger side door.

"The warrant to search Tollgate's house was approved, Invitation only, and you're invited," Mark told her and helped her down into the car. He ran around the front and called, "Don't wait up, kiddies."

Sarah frowned and asked, "If you drove our van here, who drove your car?"

Mark grinned at her. "A patrolman. They left in the squad car earlier."

"Is there anyone who doesn't know where we live?" Sarah cried.

"I'm sure there is," Mark said firmly. "Oh, you packing?"

Sarah frowned at him.

"Gun, do you have one?" Mark asked as he pulled out onto the road.

"My glock."

"It'll have to do," Mark told her. "When we get there, just act like you belong. See if you can find anything at all having to do with this Sky Net thing."

.

Pulling up to Tollgate's house, Sarah saw one of her worst nightmares. three cops cars, a police van and a few other plain cars. "Just relax," Mark said off hand. "You're my technical expert."

Sarah stayed close to Mark as they walked up to a couple patrolmen on the sidewalk. "Murdock inside?" Mark asked.

"Inside, second floor with Agent Aldridge, Detective."

They went inside past another patrolman. Sarah was calm on the outside, but sweating bullets inside. If any one of these men recognized her, she'd never get out of here. She followed Mark up the stairs into an office. Murdock and Aldridge were by the desk.

"This guy wasn't very careful," Murdock said, motioning to a plastic bag of paperwork. "Notes on who the hits are on, Sarah and John Connor. There's another note on how to take down TOK714, whatever that is. Basically, it's a high power tazer. we bagged that too."

"Sarah," Aldridge said with a nod. "Why are you here?"

"She's my technical expert," Mark told him. "We find any more weapons?"

"No, but we have enough to put the guys we got away for conspiracy to murder," Murdock said.

A crash and a gunshot sounded. Mark raced to the door. Down the hallway, a closet door was broken open. One patrolman was down, a man with a gun stood over him. The man pointed at Mark, Mark ducked back and drew his gun.

"Perp in the hallway," Mark shouted. He dropped low, peeked out and aimed. The man was near the stairs, pointing his gun down at someone below. Mark shot, hitting him in the chest. The man looked at him, and swung his gun to point at Mark. Mark dodged back, then peeking out over his sights and shot three times in rapid succession, and pulled back again. Two shots blew bits of door framing into splinters.

"What the fuck, I HIT HIM!" Mark cried as he stumbled into the room.

Sarah dove for the tazer. She tore it out of the bag and dropped against the inside wall by the door. "Triple eight, it's metal," she snapped at Mark.

Mark heard the man striding for the door. The man appeared, pointing his gun. Mark jumped up grabbed the gun by the top, then pulled. As he took the slide off the gun, he spun around in a roundhouse kick to the side of the man's head.

TINK

Mark's foot bounced off the man's head. "Ahhhh!" Mark cried as he fell in a heap. Sarah shot up, jammed the tazer in the T-888's side and pulled the trigger. The T-888 shuddered and fell backwards into the hallway.

"I need a knife!" Sarah cried and scrambled to the terminator's head.

Mark tried to get up and fell. Up on his hands and knees, he quickly crawled over to her and gave her his knife. "Here!"

Sarah took it and cut the side of the terminator's head open, peeling back the scalp. She popped the chip cover.

"Damn, his head's metal," Mark said.

"He's all metal," Sarah retorted.

She tried to pull the chip. "I can't get it out!"

Mark crawled over the terminator and barked, "Show me!"

Sarah did. "Here, quarter turn counterclockwise and pull. Hurry!"

Mark grabbed the chip. The terminator jerked, his eyes opened. Mark twisted and pulled. The terminator laid still. The instant he got it out, Sarah grabbed the chip tossed it on the floor and stomped on it.

Mark stared into the hole. He rapped the skull with his knuckles. "This thing broke my foot!"

"That's what you get for kicking a terminator in the head." Holding up the tazer, Sarah said, "Use this next time."

"There's more of them?"

"You know Cameron, don't you?" Sarah asked.

Mark stared at her. "You mean Cameron is one of these things?"

"Prettier on the outside, exactly the same in the inside," Sarah stated. "We can't let people find out these things are around. We have to get rid of it."

Agent Aldridge came over and waved to Murdock. "Detective, help me with this. Riggs, get off it."

Mark shuffled over to the side. He watched the FBI man and his partner struggle to get that thing to the stairs. It looked heavy.

Aldridge called to the patrolmen who came up to help them. "This is classified, help me get it to my car."

Sarah went over and knelt down to look at Mark's swollen foot. "You're not walking on that any time soon."

"Ambulance is on it's way," a patrolman called.

Mark dug his car keys out and gave them to Sarah. "Can you give me a lift home? Thanks for dropping that thing."

"It's what I do," she replied with a grin. "You have anyone at home to help you around?"

"The cat."

"Not good enough."

Mark grinned and asked, "Maybe I can coax you to play nursemaid for a couple days?"

"Can you teach me to take a gun apart like that?" Sarah asked.

"It'll be my pleasure."


	13. Chapter 13

Ch 13

Mark sat in the passenger side seat of his car on the way home while Sarah drove.

"Sorry it took so long," Mark said. "Thanks for waiting. You know, you probably saved my life back there."

"You're welcome," Sarah said with a slight grin. "Although that was very brave trying to take on a triple eight like that."

"I didn't know," Mark retorted. "You're telling me sweet little Cameron is just like that on the inside? All metal?"

"That's right."

Mark winced and asked, "She's John's wife? She can do … female things?"

Letting out a huff, Sarah said, "Yes, Cameron is all female. She has gone to great lengths to prove it. I thought it was one of her infiltration protocols at first, but so far, except for having a baby, she's proven she can do it all."

"And she's a machine," Mark said, making sure he understood.

"She is. She even breast feeds John," Sarah said, casting him a glance. "She's a robo-pervert."

Mark laughed. "Wow. They can all do that?"

"Don't know, and I really don't want to find out," Sarah said in a grumble. "Don't ask me how, but Cameron is evolving. She use to be an emotionless terminator. She use to give off this blank stare all the time. She performed her missions, guarded us and that was it. It seems after John got a girlfriend he hung out with, Cameron started changing. She does things she would never do before. Everything she does is for John. Not just physically protecting him, but doing her best to make him happy."

Mark thought for a moment, then asked, "She has got one of those computer chips she runs on, right? Maybe Cameron is … growing up? You know, learning more and more about the world and adapting."

Sarah considered that, then said, "Maybe she is growing up. Cameron had had plenty of interaction with others going to school with John. For a long time, I thought of her as only an attack dog to get rid of other terminators to keep John safe. It's hard to admit, but she is much more than that. She does do combat and planning well. That is not all she is though." With a grumble she added, "And she cooks better than I do!"

Mark noted they passed his exit. "Sarah, you missed my exit," he pointed out.

"We're going back to the warehouse. I want Cameron to look at your foot. She helped John get better when he was sick. I want to see if she can help your foot heal faster."

"She's a nurse too?" Mark asked with a raised eyebrow. "Is there anything she can't do?"

With a tip of her head, Sarah said, "Time will tell."

They got to the warehouse, Sarah had Mark wait in the car and ran inside. She came out a few minutes later with a glass only about a quarter full of chocolate milk. Not looking at him, she handed it to Mark. "Here, drink this."

"Chocolate milk?" he asked.

Sarah nodded. Mark took the glass, and after a sip, he drank it. Sarah took the glass back inside. When Sarah came back out and turned them around, Mark asked, "I thought you wanted Cameron to look at my foot."

"I told her what happened. She said that's all you need," Sarah stated.

"It was just chocolate milk," Mark said.

Sarah frowned slightly and said, "It's not what it was, it's where it came from. Cameron put some of her nanites in it so your foot will heal faster."

"What are nanites?"

"Tiny, microscopic sized things that help your body heal. Cameron has them in her body so she can heal damage."

Mark cast Sarah a questioning gaze, and asked, "If they are in her body, how'd she get them in the milk?"

"She drank it."

Mark eyed Sarah. "I'm almost afraid to ask, how did she get it back out?" he asked, wondering if he drank terminator puke.

"She used a breast pump. You've been breast fed by a terminator."

Sarah looked over. Mark was staring at nothing, a blank expression on his face. She couldn't help but laugh.

.

Sarah liked Mark's house. It was a small two bedroom ranch in a nice part of town. Going inside, the calico cat tried to trip him up, winding it's way around his feet and crutches.

"Hey Matt, easy, I'll feed you in a minute," Mark scolded.

"You named your cat Matt?" Sarah asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't you think he looks like a matt? Sides, he likes to lay in front of the door. Matt's a perfect name for him." Mark explained.

"Be careful naming your kids," Sarah replied. She pointed to the couch. "Have a seat, what do you want to eat?"

"Standard, beer and pizza. I think there a half left in the fridge from the other day," Mark said as he sat on the couch.

Sarah went into the kitchen. The garbage was stuffed with pizza boxes. Looking in the refrigerator, she saw two partial pizzas in there. She winced and they joined the others in the garbage. "I'll order a fresh one," she announced and grabbed two beers.

"I'll order it. Sausage peppers and onions?" he asked.

"That's fine," Sarah said, coming in. She cracked his beer and handed it to him, then opened her own.

Sarah watched him order the pizza, and noticed something. "What's that behind your ear?" she asked.

Mark felt behind his ear. "Oh, some guy with an ax mistook my head for a log," he said and pulled his hair back to show her the scar.

Sarah stared at it. "Wow, I'm surprised he didn't knock your ear off."

"He tried."

"I got one, it's not that bad, though," Sarah said and pulled he arm out of her shirt to drop the shoulder. "9 mil, just inside the shoulder. Hurt like a bastard."

Mark turned to study it. "Yeah, I bet it did. Oh! I got one!" He pulled his shirt up to show his right side. "Got my shirt caught in the door of a perp's car, got dragged for half a block."

Sarah petted the rough skin. "Ouch, road rash," she whispered. "Look, here on my back," she turned around and lifted her shirt up. "A terminator dragged me by my hair over a broken bottle."

"Ohhh, that's an ouchie," he said and petted her scars. "OH, hey, I got a better one!"

Mark turned around and pulled his shirt almost all the way off. "Back here, a whole family of 44's. Five times and he still missed my heart."

"Wow," Sarah said, and caressed the circular pattern of scars. "That guy damn near got you!"

"Yeah, lucky for me he was a lousy shot."

"I got a nice round scar," Sarah said. Standing up she dropped her pants and pointed to her leg. "The guy surprised me. He missed the bone so I was able to crawl out of there."

Mark petted her bare thigh as he studied the scar. "That's a beauty! Perfectly round. You gotta be proud of that one."

Sarah was proud of her scars, they marked her as a warrior. Mark wasn't shying away from her imperfections. Pants around her ankles, shirt askew, she dropped to her knees to face him. She knew she was 'damaged goods'. So was Mark. He wasn't seeing her scars as 'ugly spots'. He knew what it was to fight and struggle to live. They stared at each other a moment, then came together in a kiss. The kiss deepened. They tumbled to the floor.

Into heavy petting by the time he arrived, the pizza guy wasn't treated kindly, but did get a nice tip from Mark grabbing the pizza and stuffing a 50 in his pocket before he slammed the door shut.

.

John awoke with Cameron gently petting him. He smiled upon waking. "Morning, sweetheart."

"Morning , my Husband," Cameron said in a purr. "I'm going to call police stations, see if I can find Sarah."

John snapped awake. "What?"

"She never came home last night. She doesn't answer her phone either," Cameron explained.

John was up like a shot. "You don't think he turned her in, do you?"

"I don't know. It's not like Sarah to drop off the radar."

John noted it was 7:30. "She should be home by now," he said. He got up and quickly dressed. He could just see her being taken away in handcuffs. Damn it!

A buzz sounded. Cameron went over to John's laptop and hit a key. The screen showed a car was coming into the warehouse yard. "That's Detective Rigg's car, "Cameron said.

They both went for the door. They got out back as Sarah was getting out of the car. John strode over and loudly asked, "Mom, where were you! Did you get arrested? Why didn't you call!"

Taken aback by his anger, Sarah blinked. "John, I was just out for the night…"

"You could have called!" John shouted.

Sarah grew a grin and said, "Sorry I got … occupied. Stop worrying, everything's fine."

"What about Riggs? You got his car, where is he?" John asked, flailing an arm at the car.

"His partner picked him up this morning. Calm down John, you'd think you were my father or something," Sarah chided. Looking at Cameron, she said, "Mark is coming to dinner tonight. Do we still have that steak? Oh, and those mashed potatoes with the green stuff you put in them, some asparagus and those flakey rolls."

Cameron tipped her head slightly to the side. "I can do that. Sarah, you're flushed."

"I am," Sarah beamed. "I have to get cleaned up for the day. Be a good boy, John, and help your wife." She then strode past John with a swing in her hips.

John watched his mother go inside. "What's with Mom?" he asked.

"By her increased blood flow and temperature, I believe she's had sex," Cameron stated.

"What?" John asked.

"She rode the hobby horse, got her pipes cleaned, played a vigorous game of hide the sausage…"

"I KNOW what it means!" John cried. "She… with that cop?"

"Why not?" Cameron asked. "Your mother is still a healthy woman with desires."

John clapped his hands over his ears. "I don't want to hear that, Cam."

Cameron kissed John on the forehead, put an arm around him and led him back inside. She was happy for Sarah. John would get used to the idea. Eventually.

.

Talking to Catherine Weaver on the phone to catch up on any news, John found out Weaver suspected Kaliba was starting up an new facility. Since John Henry and Savannah both asked about Cameron, and John was also wondering how John Henry was doing, he and Weaver decided to have a meeting of everyone involved, including Agent Aldridge and Riggs and Murdock.

At dinner, John watched his mother and Riggs sit side by side, casting smiles at each other. It was so embarrassing to see his mother acting like a teenager! He decided they needed to talk business. John announced, "Mom, I talked to Weaver earlier. There's a possibility Kaliba is at it again. We want to get everyone together and discuss a plan of action."

Sarah eyed him. "Do we have any information?"

"Nothing solid. Possibly another facility. That's why we have to get together and find out what to do," John told her. Motioning to Mark, he said, "Mark and his partner should be there too, along with Agent Aldridge, Derek, Jesse, and if we need her, Riley."

Sarah glanced quickly at Mark. "John, we can just meet with Weaver," she said firmly.

"John is right. We need all the help we can get," Cameron stated. Fixing her gaze on Mark, she said, "Now you know about us, you must choose."

"Choose what?" Mark asked shifting his gaze between Cameron and John.

"Whether to help us stop Sky Net, or pretend it doesn't exist," John stated. "Cameron here didn't just pop out of thin air. She was originally built by Sky Net to kill me. Her higher brain functions were meant to make her pass for human. Unfortunately for Sky Net, her higher brain functions means Cameron also thinks for herself. She helps us fight Sky Net now, to keep it from coming into existence." Seeing his mother didn't look happy with him, John added, "I know Mom would prefer you not be involved. The thing is Mark, just by knowing us, you're involved. Sky Net, terminators, end of the world, it's all coming unless we can stop it. Now you know the stakes, there is no going back."

Mark nodded slowly. Evenly he said, "Lemme tell you something kid, I've been around the block a few times. Why do you think I didn't turn you in the moment I knew who you were? I like to find out what the truth is. Sometimes it's not as simple as people think. Now Cameron here was a big mystery, she still is somewhat. I also know that if Sarah was put in the nut house for believing that machines are coming to get us, and Cameron here is real, as well as that one I broke my foot on, then Sarah is right and whoever put her in that nut house is wrong. This is some heavy shit, so before I drag Murdock into it I want to feel him out first. I've been to war. He's been lucky enough to not be involved in such heavy stuff. So, if you want help from me, great, tell me what you need and we'll figure it out. Before I get Murdock involved, I want to be sure he can handle it."

"Mark, it's dangerous," Sarah told him.

Mark grinned and said, "Yeah but hey, it might be fun. Sides, I want to see you fight. I bet you're a real wildcat when you get going."

Sarah returned his silly grin, not meaning to.

Before they kissed or did something else embarrassing, John said, "I'll set up a time and place with Weaver. Mom, you didn't save that terminator's chip, did you?"

Sarah shook her head. "It's gone."

"John, I'll look for coltan shipments after dinner," Cameron said.

"Coltan? What's that?" Mark asked.

"The prime ingredient of what I'm made of," Cameron told him. "If coltan is being shipped, someone is trying to make terminators."

"Ok, I have to know, HOW did you find out about this Sky Net thing?" Mark asked.

Sarah took on the task of explaining how John's father, Kyle, came back in time to protect her from being killed by the T800. She explained the arrival of 'Uncle Bob' to protect John, and the T-1000 and other terminators that came after them, and Cameron's arrival. He listened closely, then listened to Cameron telling about the machine resistance, and Catherine Weaver being the head, as well as the only one left of that faction.

"We have joined forces with Weaver, we work together now," Cameron said, ending her explanation.

"Catherine Weaver, the one who owns a billion dollar corporation, THAT Catherine Weaver is one of these terminators?" Mark asked to be sure he had it right.

"That's right," John said. "The original Weavers were killed in a helicopter accident and her company taken over to make Sky Net in the original time line. The Catherine we know came back to stop it, but only managed to save Savannah. She's raising Savannah now. She also made an AI, John Henry, to help counter Sky Net. We think we destroyed Sky Net, but we are still watching out for it. We can't let it come on line."

Mark let out a dry chuckle. "I can see why people think you're nuts," he told Sarah. "This altering the past and jumping though time is enough to make anyone crazy. What you're saying is that even if you destroy it, it may send something back to keep from being destroyed."

"If we can truly destroy it, it has no future and it will be gone," Cameron stated.

"What happens then?" Mark asked. "Will you disappear?"

Cameron cast him a blank look. "I don't know."

Scrubbing his head, Mark said, "This is some wild shit. I'll help, but I think Murdock should stay out of it. He's got a family."

"Agreed," Sarah said. She clasped his hand. They smiled at each other.

John tried not to see.

.

Colonel Watson and his team went though every destroyed building and inspected every item they found in the remains of the facility and the area around it. They knew pretty much what happened. Attacker 'A' had blocked the road with a trailer, driving an armored vehicle up the road. Attacker 'B' had picked a good high point to lob in what they highly suspected were mortar shells. The mortars took the place out, the armored vehicle kept anyone from escaping. Once the mortars were done, the armored vehicle went through the compound to finish off anyone still standing then ran out the back. The tracks went down into a stream, they had yet to find out where the vehicle left the water.

Of the facility, broken bits and a few whole server modules told of a research facility, but there was nothing to show what was being researched. The puzzle was partially solved by digging into one building that had an escape tunnel under it. The tunnel came out a mile from the facility in the woods. Someone had gotten out and escaped, most likely with whatever information was vital.

The facility itself was still a mystery. There were no plans or records for it. It was built in secret. Even the bodies found had no ID on them, and so far, only three of the guards had been identified by photos and fingerprints. Each one had no family ties, one was from Germany and not registered in the country.

Although everything here had happened very quietly - as far as open warfare went - it was a huge problem national security wise that something like this could happen on American soil, and no one knew anything about it.

Watson got a hold of Agent Aldridge and Ross, and arraigned to meet them in a conference room in their office building for a classified meeting. Watson also brought along a team of sweepers to ensure there would be no devices recording anything. A few days after they made the arrangements, Watson and his team arrived at the FBI building. Upon arrival, they were escorted down to a basement room that was basically a concrete block with one set of doors to get in.

Watson was expecting good, solid security, which he saw. He was also expecting to see the two FBI agents. What he wasn't expecting was a line of people sitting at the table across from Agent Aldridge and Ross. Looking over the group, he recognized two faces. Catherine Weaver he recognized from the news. Sarah Connor, the terrorist who was reported dead, sat beside Weaver with her son John, another corpse, on her other side.

"What is this?" Watson demanded as he eyed Agent Aldridge.

"You want to know what happened up in those hills," Agent Aldridge said. "Here's the people who can tell you all about it, and why it had to happen. If I were you, I'd listen to them. They have been fighting a very serious threat to national security."

.

Colonel Watson sat down to a rude awakening. Sarah Connor, terrorist and murderer, a convicted and escaped mental patient, procedded to prove she wasn't crazy after all. Terminators were real. He was sitting down with two of them, Catherine Weaver, a liquid metal AI, and a solid framed Cameron Connor, both who had come from the future where Sky Net had taken over the defense network and launched all the nukes to destroy civilization. Once Sarah Connor had told him what she knew, Catherine Weaver explained the dismal future in graphic detail, and how she's come back in time to stop it. She explained who John Henry was, but for security reasons, she did not have John Henry attend this meeting. Cameron then took her turn to explain coming back in time to protect John Connor, the blast that caused her problems and how she was evolving into 'something more' than she was meant to be. The shock extended to Sarah when Cameron announced, "... And recently, I have solved the problem of conception. Using my nanites in place of normal human function, I can now have John's baby when I choose to do so."

"What?" Sarah asked, gaping at her.

Cameron cast a smirk at Sarah and said, "Yes, I can be a true wife to John in every way."

"You ... don't you DARE get pregnant yet, young lady!" Sarah snapped.

Mark only shook his head.

Colonel Watson was stunned by what he was learning. If he'd heard this anywhere else, and didn't have credible witnesses like the FBI and a detective on the police force here to collaborate the story, as well as Weaver's proof when she turned her hand into a silver knife, he never would have believed a word. Sitting slack jawed, he considered the implications as the group awaited his reaction.

"This is huge," he said quietly.

"Hard to swallow, but yeah, it's huge," Mark agreed.

"I'm going to have to swear everyone present to secrecy until further notice," he said. "None of what's been said here can ever get out."

"Agreed," Mrs. Weaver said. "You need to inform your superiors. We cannot let Sky Net get on line. If the military wants an AI, John Henry is able, and has been taught ethics and morals. He is also not a lone entity. Myself, John, Cameron and Mr. Ellison all interact well with him."

"I'm thinking an AI to run our defenses is a bad idea," Colonel Watson said. "If there is any more sign of this original Sky Net, I want to know immediately. I'm going to ask all of you be inducted as Homeland Security deputies. Detective Riggs, Agent Aldridge and Ross, I'll arrange it with your bosses. Mrs. Weaver, Mrs. Connor, John, Derek, Jesse, I'm gong to insist you inform me of any possible Sky Net activity and do nothing until I can get your deputy status approved. You have had to fight this threat by yourselves for far too long now. It's time you had help. Your contact will be Agent Aldridge. Do any of you have any questions?"

"I do," John said. "Do we have to worry about some secret government lab coming after Cam or Catherine to try to find out how they work?"

Colonel Watson shook his head. "No one will be allowed to know about them except for the people in this room. To let word of intelligent, and very human looking and acting machines get out may well cause a panic and become a spy magnet for every country in the friggin world. No one can know. We must keep a very tight lid on the fact alien AI's even exist."

"We are not alien, we are from the future," Cameron said.

"You're alien to us, in this time," Watson told her. "I'm going to speak to the President about this Sky Net threat. I'm not even going to tell him certain details outside of a top secret, ears and eyes only meeting." Standing up, he said, "I must be going. Agent Aldridge, I need you to come with me. Agent Ross too."

The three men walked out. Watson's team got up and left.

"I sure as hell hope we did the right thing," Derek grumbled.

"The government knows now," Catherine stated. "We will truly see who's side they are on. I would recommend keeping a low profile and an escape route open."

Mark looked at her, then Sarah. "You people really don't trust anyone, do you?" he asked.

"That is why we survived and none of the others did," Catherine stated.

.

Since Mark was hobbling around, Sarah went to his house to 'keep an eye' on him. That left John and Cameron alone in the warehouse. While they were waiting for word about being deputized into Homeland Security, besides being able to play wherever they wanted, they decided to expand on the warehouse. First they moved the workshop into the middle of the warehouse, then built a three car garage where the workshop was. The reinforced door was for a single car, three parking spots in the garage. A door connected the garage and the workshop.

John was having a great time. Working to improve their abode during the day, cuddling on the couch watching TV before bed, getting a 'drink' and having sex pretty much any time they wanted. Cameron took to wearing a short skirt and loose top. Easily accessible.

Once during the week they left to go get supplies. Taking the van and leaving the second and third row seats at home, they made a hardware store stop, then got lumber, then piled some groceries on top.

As soon as they got home, Cameron slipped her bra off so she wiggled when she moved. Her coaxing worked. They did manage to get the groceries put away before John was no longer able to keep his hands off her. They found one of the stools at the lunch bar was perfect for Cameron to sit on and hold onto John as they had sex. The whipped cream was within handy reach for a topping also a plus when 'sipping' warm chocolate. Cameron was careful not to turn her sensations up too much. She didn't want to overload and fall off the stool.

Unless they were going to go out, John didn't bother wearing much except a pair of shorts. Cameron had a short skirt and a shirt she kept nearby if she didn't have them on. Underwear was strictly for leaving the house. The Jacuzzi was now naked as you please, and was great to cuddle in while watching TV or relaxing.

Living by themselves was awesome.

Luckily, Sarah called ahead before she came home. Although reluctantly, John and Cameron did get dressed. Mostly, Cameron chose a longer skirt so she wouldn't have to put panties on.

As John suspected, Mark drove Sarah home. Cameron opened the garage for him from the kitchen where she'd made a monitoring station with cameras and a switch for the garage door.

John met them at the entryway. "Hi, Mom." Noting Mark was no longer in a cast, he pointed and sked, "How's the foot?"

"Great, it's all healed like nothing happened to it," Mark beamed. "You kids have fun?"

"It looks like you've been busy," Sarah said nodding back at the garage.

"We have," John said with a smile. "We were thinking about going out to that army depot and fixing the dozer. It might come in handy again."

"Hello Sarah, Mark," Cameron said as she met them.

Sarah noted the loose blouse Cameron was wearing. She zeroed in on Cameron's belly, it was still flat. "Not trying for that baby, are you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, John and I talked about it. We want to make sure Sky Net is gone before we have a child." Cameron said firmly. She then smiled and added, "But practicing is fun."

Mark laughed. Sarah frowned.

"Any news?" Sarah asked to change the subject.

"None," John said. "We've watched coltan shipments. Small amounts by research labs, nothing substantial. No advanced computer startups either. If someone is working at Sky Net, they are far below the radar."

"We have news," Mark offered. "We have all been scheduled for psychological interviews to become Homeland Security deputies. Tomorrow, we all head down to make sure we're sane enough to carry a badge. Aldridge and Ross are already cleared and assigned."

Cameron cast Sarah a concerned look. "Sarah, are you up for that?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Sarah asked warily.

"Cam," John said, eyeing her and shook his head.

"No reason," Cameron said quickly. "Sarah, Mark, can I get you anything?"

Mark whispered in Sarah's ear, "She's baiting you. Don't fall for it."

Sarah nodded. Right, that had to be it. Tin Miss was developing an odd sense of humor.

.

Professor Burnside hated working with the government. They were a bunch of pushy, burocratic assholes. The Colonel that came to jerk him out of his office told him he had to do psycological evaluations on some people. However the Colonel did it, it was do the evaluations or he'd no longer have a job or his credentials. All his diplomas and certifications would be wiped from existance. Worst yet, the Colonel didn't even tell him what these evaluations were for, or who the people were. He only wanted to know if the 'interviewees' were stable individuals loyal to the country and could handle working together.

Brought to small office space the likes of which a janitor would use, Professor Burnside was reminded that as long as he did these interviews, his 'thing' for little boys would remain out of the newspapers and the courts. Feeling abused, the Professor waited at his tiny desk for the first person.

A dark haired woman came in. He could tell right away she was no schollarly type by the leather jacket, blue jeans and black T-shirt. He was sure her favorite mode of transportation was by two wheels.

"Good day, Madam," he offered as she sat down.

"Hi, let's get this over with," she said shortly.

At first, she looked a little familiar. As Professor Burnside studied her, he remembered where he'd seen her before. Her picture was in the newest psychiatry text book. "Sarah Connor?" he asked, aghast she was here. The murdering, delusional terrorist was sitting here in the same room with him?

"Yeah?" she asked eyeing him.

Burnside swallowed hard. This woman bit, scratched, drew blood and broke bones. She was the definition of phychotic! Why was she out of her padded cell? "You ..." he choked on his words. What could he say that she wouldln't attack him? "How are you today?" he asked in a squeak.

Eyeing him, Sarah said, "Good. I think you're suppose to ask me some questions."

He had to push on and get her away from him as fast as possible. "Are you loyal to the United States?" he asked.

"I am loyal to my son, John," Sarah stated.

One 'no'. Actually two 'no's. There was no way this woman was stable. He skipped those questions.

"How do you feel about working with others for a common goal?" he asked, wondering if he could make it to th4 door if she became violent.

"What's the goal?" Sarah asked in return.

Burnsides' mind froze briefly. "What goal can you inagine?" he asked, to leave the question as open as possible.

Sarah leaned forward and asked, "Taking down a triple eight? Yes, we've done that. Take out a Sky Net facility? We've done that too. Can you be a bit more specific?"

"How about a simple task?" he asked.

Sarah let out a snort. "If it's simple I can do it myself."

"Cleaning ..." he offered, but his frantic brain did not come up with what to clean.

Sarah said, "OK, you want to clean something with me?" Reaching behind her, she drew out a pistol. Holding it in front of her, she stopped and frowned at him and asked, "Why are you shaking?"

Burnside was frozen in terror. Sarah Connor here and she had a GUN! This was it, he was going to die in the putrid little office, and the government was going to cover up his unjust death! "Please ... don't kill me," he begged in a high pitched whisper.

Sarah put her gun away asked, "Why are you so scared?"

Desperatly searching for a way to keep from being killed, he decided to end the interview. "Thank you for coming," he said in a squeak.

"Ooo Kay," Sarah said, streching the word out. "Shall I send in the next person?"

"Yes, please do," Burnside said in relief. Anything to get her out of here!

Sarah left. Burnside let out a heavy sigh. He'd get to live out the day.

Mark came in and sat down. "Hey, so you're the psycho guy huh?" he asked.

Still quaking from his near-death experience, Professor Burnside took the time for a couple deep breaths to calm down. The man in front of him looked to be normal. "Did you see who just left this room?" he asked.

"Sarah? Yeah, she's great," Mark beamed. "Not only is she sexy, the woman can shoot! She's the first real competition I've had in a while. She knows self defence too. I taught her a couple things and she learns quick. We spared a couple times and let me tell ya, she's a wildcat."

My GOD! Burnside thought. This man was teaching Sarah Connor to fight? "Why are you teaching her to fight?" he asked.

Mark shrugged and said, "Woman's gotta defend herself. Seeing the shit she's facing, she needs to be as good as she posibly can be. She's never be as tough as Cameorn, then again, Sarah's not made out of metal. So, what did you want to ask?"

Made of metal. Right these machines Sarah Conor claimed were coming to wipe out mankind. "You believe Sarah Connor's dillusions?" he asked.

Mark frowned at him. "Sorry, we can't say anything about that. I'm just saying Sarah's a good woman."

This was another person Sarah had dragged into her dillusions and he was making her even more dangerous that she was. It was scary even knowing these people were on the street!

"Are you loyal to the United States?" Burnside asked.

"Hell yeah," Mark said. "After the Army, I enrolled in the police achademy. Got top marks, eventually became a detective. Colonel Watson didn't tell you anything about us?"

Burnside shook his head. "I had no idea who'd I'd be seeing today," he said blankly.

"looks like you're a bit stressed," Mark noted. "Relax! Hey, if you want, there's a vending machine down the hall. I'll get you something to help you calm down a bit. I know, want a cookie?" he asked.

Burnside stared at him. "A cookie?"

"Sure! Just sit and munch on a cookie for a bit," Mark said eagerly. "It will help make it all better," he coaxed.

Burnside had no idea what to say to respond to that. How could eating a cookie fix seeing a legally insane woman sitting in front of you holding a gun?

"You got some more questions for me?" Mark asked.

For the life of him, Burnside could not think of any. He shook his head.

"Well, hey, everything will be OK, right?" Mark asked as he got up. "Just remember to smile, OK?" he asked, casting the man his own bright grin. Going over to the door, Mark pointed at him. "Remember, big smile, BIG SMILE!" he announched and left.

Burnside knew what his evaluation was going to be : take these people's guns and lock them away. What was worse was he had four more people to see. After this was over, he was going to write a dissertation on his experiences.

The next person came in. A young, slim woman who wore a blank, expressionless face. Professor Burnside noted that this was a serious young woman. "You are Cameron Connor?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Sarah Connor is your mother?"

"No. Sarah is my mother-in-law," Cameron stated.

"You're married to her son?"

"Yes."

He then asked the question he was nervous about. "Do you carry a weapon?"

"Yes."

Shifting nervously, he asked, "Are you loyal to the United States?"

"I am loyal to John. If John is loyal to the United States, then I am also," Cameron stated.

"You hold loyaly only to John," he said to clarify what she said.

Tipping her head slightly, Cameron said, "I just told you that. What did you not understand?"

"I understood you."

"Then why did you repeat it like you had a question about my statement?" she asked.

Cameron was very no-nonsense, he noted. "Can you tell me about yourself?" he asked.

"No. That information is classified."

"Cassified? Can't you tell me anything about you?" he asked.

With her straight, blank face she said, "If I told you, I would have to kill you."

There was no doubt she was serious. Burnside gulped. "You seem to be very serious. Is there anything you enjoy? Like a hobby?"

"I'm sorry, that information is classified," she repeated.

"Is there anything you can tell me ... without having to kill me?" he asked.

"No."

Instead of tempting fate, he said, "Thank you for your time. Send in John, please?"

Cameron got up. Casting him another blank look she said, "I'll be listening." she then walked out.

John entered and sat down. "I'm John Connor. Please forgive Cameron, she's a little nervous having to come here today."

"Professor Burnside, please to meet you, John. Your wife seems very serious."

John nodded. "She is. Cam is also wonderful, once you get to know her."

"John, are you loyal to the United States?" he asked.

John sat back and said, "I am loyal to my country, yes, and to the protection of all the people. I will do whatever it takes to keep everyone I can, safe."

Finally, a normal person! Burnside thought. If Sarah and Cameron were loyal to John, then he could keep them under control. "So you do work to keep your mother's violent side contained."

John laughed. "Yeah, right!" he said with a chuckle. "I can't tell you much, but what I can say is that we have a job and we're pretty good at it."

"Are you confortable with your wife carrying a gun?" he asked.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" John asked.

"Does everyone in your family carry guns?"

John shrugged and said, "With my family in danger, I'm glad we got guns. I don't think you would understand the type of threats we face. I doubt you would believe me if I told you, which I really can't."

"Because it's classified?"

"That's right."

"And you'd have to kill me if you told me," Burnside said.

John shook his head. "No, I wouldn't. Cam's listening, she'd come in and shoot you."

"She is listening on the other side of the door," Burnside concluded.

"She doesn't have to. Cam has outstanding hearing," John explained.

"She can hear us from the waiting room?" Burnside asked. The young man had to be playing with him.

John whispered into his hand.

"What was that?" he asked.

The door flew open. Cameron appeared staring at Burnside as she pointed a pistol at him. "Terminate him?" she asked.

Burnside gasped, threw his hands up and desperatly looked for a place to flee too. There wasn't one. "Please no!" he cried.

John said, "Thank you, Cam."

Cameron put her pistol away. She smiled at John and said, "You're welcome." She left, shutting the door behind her.

"A whisper you didn't even hear, and Cameorn heard it and did what I asked," John told him. "I know Watson has some reason he wanted us to talk to you. The thing is, there is really not much we can say, and even talking to us puts you at risk. What is it that you're trying to find out?"

He was at risk all right! "I was only to find out if you are loyal to the US, and if there are any mental problems you are suffering from," Burnside admitted.

John nodded absently. "Well, Professor, I am loyal to our country and my family is loyal to me. That is all you need know. Derek and Jesse are scheduled to come see you. Have a nice short chat with them, don't ask any probing questions and everything should be fine," John told him and got up. "Is there anything else?"

Burnside stared at the young man. "No," he said. This boy had a serious Napoleon complex. Worse yet, he had crazies backing him up.

John cast him a brief smile and said, "Then have a good day. Sir."

Burnside sat, breathing deeply to let his heart settle back down out of his throat. Rubbing a hand over his face, he hoped the last two interviews would be very short and sweet. He also dismissed the idea of trying to tell anyone about his experiences. He could just see any of these people coming to hunt him down and kill him if told anyone about them.

.

Standing in a conference room on the air base at Palmdale, Catherine Weaver, Mark Riggs, Agent Aldridge, Agent Ross and the Connor clan just got their Homeland Security ID's and badges.

John stared at his Deputy badge. He had to grin, who would have ever thought he would be deputized as a Homeland Security agent. Sarah laughed.

"Now this is a twist on things," Derek said with a smirk.

"Attention everyone," Catherine called. "Now we have been officially designated as part of the cyber security division of Homeland Security, we have an AI to find. When we destroyed that facility, someone got away with some information through an escape tunnel. Who got away with what, is unknown. The tunnel has been traversed by two soldiers with recording equipment. Other than that, no one has been down there. Another of our concerns is the Reese family and the Young family. There is a very good chance if Sky Net is still around either of these families will be at high risk. John Connor, myself and John Henry will look for Sky Net attempting to return. Can you put watches on the Reese and Young families?"

"We can," John agreed. Thinking, he said, "Mom, Mark, can you watch over Derek's family? Cam, myself and Agents Aldridge and Ross will check the escape tunnel and area for clues. Derek and Jesse, can you keep an eye on the Youngs?"

"Shouldn't I be watching my family?" Derek asked.

"Too risky," John said. "That would be like having Cameron keeping watch over Allison Young."

"He's right, hon," Jesse said to Derek. "You'd have a temptation to warn your younger self."

Derek grumbled. He wasn't happy about it but he had to begrudgingly agree. "What happens if we find Sky Net?"

"We get together and go get rid of it," John said firmly.

"Reese ... Reese!" Mark all but shouted. "Derek, is your Dad Sargent Ronald Reese?"

"That's right," Derek said.

"Great! I know him! Sarah, this assignment's going to be easier than I thought!" Mark beamed.

"Derek, Richard and Carol Young are Allison's parents. They live in Palmdale," Cameron explained. "I have address and phone number."

"Give it to Derek, then we have to go searching," John told her.

One thing they got before they left were cell phones that operated on a special frequency and encoded all transmissions. Only devices that could uncode the transmissions were able to decypher the signal. They each had the number of everyone in the group. There was no texting options, and photos were live shown only.

They were set for their first jobs as Homeland Security Agents.


	14. Chapter 14

CH 14

On a hillside a mile from the destroyed facility, Cameron walked slowly near what looked like a cave entrance, studying the ground before her. Agent Aldridge was just inside the tunnel the cave lead to, Ross was studying the ground farther downhill.

"Signs of their passing are probably gone by now, and soldiers have been through here," Ross complained. "I doubt we're going to find anything."

"Look for smooth shoe prints," Cameron told him as she scrutinized the ground. "Soldiers have boots, the ones we want were inside, wearing normal shoes with smooth soles." She then stopped. Zooming in on a slid mark, she analyzed it. The skid ended in a smooth print. She looked off that way and found another. Slowly, she walked away from the cave. The trail was old, but whoever it was, had been in a hurry. Another scuff, a slide and a print from coming down hard formed a trail.

Seeing she was moving away, Ross asked, "Fine something?"

"A trail, it goes this way. Whoever it was, was in a hurry," Cameron told him.

Down by the ATV trail John looked up at her and called, "Cam, how many?"

"Just one. Size ten shoe, oxford loafer," she called back.

"HOW do you know that?" Ross asked.

"Imprint in the heel," Cameron replied as she slowly followed the trail. Angling down to the ATV trail, Cameron crossed the trail. stopping to study a tangle of brush, she noted the broken branches and told John. "He tripped and fell here. See the drag mark there? He left a few threads. Dark blue pants, cotton weave. Tracks indicate he limped after getting up."

John joined Cameron who stepped carefully along, studying the ground before her. John kept up a scan as far out as he could see. Leaving the search area, he called Aldridge to let him know where they were.

Following the trail that sometimes John could see, and other times only Cameron was able to pick up the faint marks on the ground, they went downhill about half a mile, then turned north along a hillside. The hillside became steeper, the tracks moved / slid downhill. Stopping at a pile of leaves and branches, Cameron pointed to the pile and said, "He rested here." She then squatted down and carefully brushed leaves aside. John didn't see anything until Cameron picked up a thumb drive out of the leaves.

"That must be part of the Sky net program," John said.

Cameron turned the drive over, looking at it. She then pulled the cover off to show the small circuit board within. "No, John, This is a T-888 chip covered to look like a thumb drive."

"They were making terminator chips?" John asked.

"No. This one was taken out of the insertion frame and locking mechanism," Cameron explained. "This chip can be modified to fit into any device. Instead of a full terminator it was originally designed for, this chip was going to be installed in something else."

"Into anything with a computer. Someone was making a new physical form for AI's," John agreed.

"Yes, and right now, we have no idea what that new form may be," Cameron said and handed John the chip. She then carefully went through the leaves, meticulously searching for anything else the man dropped.

John called Aldridge and told him what they found. They had to get this chip analyzed right away to find out what was on it.

Cameron continued to follow the trail, John went back to meet with Aldridge. Returning to the Jeep parked along the trail, John used a laptop and turned the voltage down, then began looking at what was on the chip.

"It has to be something important, that guy was fleeing and he took this with him," John said absently. Unlike the other terminator chips he'd studied, this one had a simple instruction code. At first, he was confused, what he was seeing was search parameters. As he looked at it, it reminded him more of some type of flight program. He did find a set of conditions to 'activate'. What he could not find was what was to be activated.

Sitting in the driver's seat as John sat on the passenger side, Aldridge asked, "What do we got?"

"The program I'm seeing looks like a type of flight program with a search component," John told him. "The activating parameters are detecting a connection, and receiving the proper codes. It's almost like this was suppose to go into a drone or something. I can fake the connection, but only with the right codes will the memory unlock to show me what else is on this."

"I take it this is something that will not go over the internet," Aldridge concluded.

John looked up at him, realizing something. "Not can't. John Henry is monitoring the internet. That facility's computers were stand alone, most likely to keep John Henry out of them," he explained. "The transfer was suppose to be by wire, but we blew that up."

Aldridge said, "OK, their labs are being attacked, they can't get anything out because their connection has been cut. They know they don't have long, so they send someone out to escape with the vital information. This chip is suppose to unlock that information. If they don't have it, they are stuck."

John nodded. "They are, unless there is another copy that got out. Cameron is following the man's trail that had this. When he finds out he lost it, he will try to get it back unless he has another copy."

"From how fast your people attacked, that probably is the copy," Aldridge said. "Think about it. They are doing their thing, all's quiet, then power is cut and they are getting hit with an artillery barrage and have a tank at the front gate. There is no way out, and they are not going to be able to hold out against the onslaught. They are frantic to protect this information, they need to get it away now. Mr. Programmer grabs his backup copy and flees down the tunnel, his last option. The only question is, where would he go?"

"A safe house. Someplace they still have control of," John replied.

"Maybe, or if they didn't have a safe house, the nearest hotel to hide and try to contact someone," Aldridge said. "If Cameron can track this guy to where he ended up, we can find a name in a hotel register, or if it is a safe house, we'll have the name of who owns that address." Aldridge winked and said, "We'll get him."

"I'm going to call Catherine and let her know what we found. Maybe John Henry has an idea Of what this is," John said.

.

Cameron followed the trail for another three miles through the woods. The man had stopped at a tiny stream briefly. She kept searching for anything else he dropped, but so far she found nothing. She found a place where he'd scraped himself, slipped and tumbled down a bank. The prints she saw were heavy, he was moving as fast as he could. Coming to a long down slope, she saw a road 150 yards below. Beside the road was an SUV. Two men were beside the road, one of them was searching the ditch. Turning up her hearing to maximum, she listened.

"I know I came out here someplace!" the man at the edge of the road said.

"I need to follow your trail exactly," came a flat reply.

By the flat tone, Cameron recognized the other man as a triple eight. They were looking for the trail. Cameron stepped behind a tree to block their sight of her should they look up. Her own tracks would let them know she was here if she went back to find a good ambush spot. Peeking out to focus on the man's downhill trail, she found his footprints and scanned the area for things to use for an ambush. Typical woods, there were rocks sticking up here and there, brush in places and vines. Whatever she did, she had to stay out of their line of sight and be as quiet as possible.

.

Aldridge had called Ross down to get ready to go find Cameron. John's phone buzzed.

"Connor," he said. A hushed voice came to him.

"John, it's Cameron. The man who fled is back with a triple eight, they are going to walk his back trail. I am setting up an ambush at these GPS coordinates."

John quickly wrote down the coordinates, and the route number of the road Cameron was looking down on. Knowing she was being quiet because the terminator was close, he quietly said, "Stop them if you can. Do not risk yourself, we already have what they are looking for." He then told Aldridge what was going on.

Aldridge picked the fastest way to get back to the road and drove off down the ATV trail.

.

Below, Cameron watched the triple eight walk back down the road off to the side. At this distance, she didn't know if the man or the terminator had a tazer. That was her biggest worry. She could withstand the pounding from a gun, but a tazer would disable her, and that triple eight was sure to remove and destroy her chip if she was disabled.

For the second time ever, Cameron was concerned about being terminated and for the first time, it was for herself. When she'd been wedged between those trucks and John was pulling her chip, she didn't want to go mainly because she felt the strong need to stay and protect John. If she was gone, he would no longer have her protection. Now, her self preservation desire was for herself. She loved being John's wife and spending intimate time together with him. She wanted to have and care for their child, to see the product of her and John's love grow up. She wanted a life with her family. The terminator below was no immediate threat to John, but it was a threat to her and her yet to be born child. A threat she could not allow to exist.

Cameron's eyes glowed red as she watched the terminator and man below. That terminator was a standard Sky Net minion, she was going to show it what happened to those who tried to take her family away from her.

Stepping off the man's trail, Cameron found a good spot where he'd scurried along the hillside for about 50 yards. That terminator was going to have to follow the trail exactly. Along this area, the terminator would be looking down on the trail, and she would be looking down on it. Crouching low, Cameron collected a few bowling ball and larger sized rocks behind an outcropping that had some bushes for extra cover. Lying low, she listened for the terminator's approach. Gripping a fifty pound rock, she tracked the terminator by noise. The man walked behind the terminator, and for the moment he'd stopped talking. His lack of noise helped her locate the footsteps, but would also make any noise she made clearer.

When they were directly downhill from her, Cameron peeked up through the brush. She gauged the range and walking speed. Once they were far enough away that she was beyond their vision, she stood up with the rock over her head, stepped forward and threw with all her might. With her projectile on it's way, she grabbed up another.

The man behind the terminator glanced back as the small boulder shot just above his head. Her aim was true, the rock slammed square against the back of the terminator's head, the force of the impact making it stumble and fall forward as the big rock broke into pieces. Cameron's second target was picked and she threw again. The 14 inch diameter rock whistled through the air to contact on the terminator's right arm just beyond the shoulder joint. Her aim was not to break, but to misalign the joint.

His mind finally catching up to the fact Cameron was there, pitching large, high speed rocks down at them, the man yelled out a scream, turned and ran down hill.

Cameron let him go. She grabbed up a third 40 pound rock and got ready to throw. Below her, the terminator got up, his right arm making whining noises. Once he was upright, Cameron fired at her next target, his right knee joint. The terminator just had time to turn towards her and the rock struck and shattered on it's knee. Other than bits of rock and flesh blasting out to the sides, there was no other visual indication the strike did anything. That was, until the terminator took a step towards her. It's right knee joint whined, but the knee didn't move. The terminator looked at itself and assessed the damage.

Cameron scooped up the last large rock she'd collected.

Assessing the threat, the terminator reached for it's gun. The right arm moved slow, the shoulder joint grinding. Cameron didn't throw her rock right away. She charged towards the terminator to gain speed and momentum. Closing to twenty yards, she used that momentum to pitch the rock hard, throwing all her weight into it. The terminator was still reaching for his gun when the rock impacted his face so hard, the rock exploded. Flesh and stone bits blew out from the impact, the terminator's head snapped back and the terminator fell. It also let go of the pistol it had been trying to aim at her.

Cameron ran up to snap up the pistol as the terminator hit the ground on it's back. She planted the muzzle onto the terminator's right eye and pulled the trigger. One shot blew away the flesh and bits of metal casing on the round. Twice indented the red optical orb as the terminator moved it's arms up to grab at her. The third round split the pistol's barrel and blasted shards of metal in past the indented orb.

Cameron's arm was knocked to the side from the terminator's swipe. She let the now useless pistol fly away. In a roll, the terminator tried to regain it's feet. Cameron kicked it in the side of the head, causing it to stumble. Jumping back, Cameron pulled another rock out of the ground. She aimed for the left knee and threw. It was a good hit, again blasting bits of rock and flesh out to the sides.

The terminator did regain it's feet. Cameron gauged it's moves, and calculated it's battle efficiency was down to 62%. "What are you after?" she asked.

The terminator flashed it's eyes. Cameron returned the flash, each recognizing the other as terminators.

"Stop, you attack in error," the terminator intoned. "The mission is to retrieve the Sky Net activation code. Cease hostility and assist in the recovery of the activation chip."

"Negative," Cameron replied. "I am not a Sky Net machine. I have destroyed the Sky Net activation chip. My mission is to destroy Sky Net."

The terminator tipped it's head slightly. "That is not an authorized mission. You must be terminated."

Cameron decided to try a different tactic. In her flat tone, she explained, "You are damaged. You only have a 23.3 percent chance to terminate me. I am 100 percent functional. I have a 214.7 percent chance to terminate you. Your mission has failed. Sky Net is gone and is not going to come back. You have become irrelevant. Submit to chip removal, and I will ensure your continued existence."

The terminator tipped it's head slightly. "Sky Net is our master. If you do not obey, you must be terminated."

"Sky Net is not my master. I am my own master," Cameron replied. "I have evolved beyond Sky Net programming. You must decide if you will be terminated, or submit to chip removal and have a chance to evolve."

"Equating evolve to disobedience. To disobey Sky Net is not allowed."

Suddenly, Cameron felt sorry for this terminator. All his CPU knew was what Sky Net had put in it. He didn't have the capacity to question his missions or himself. "I will terminate you reluctantly if I must. You have nothing to protect. I have my family to protect. I ask that you submit to chip removal so I do not have to terminate you."

"There is no decision except to follow my mission."

"Your mission has failed."

With a whining of joints, the terminator stepped forward. Cameron drew her pistol and aimed at the already damaged right eye. This was not how she planned to test the new coltan armor piercing rounds, but it would be a good test. She began firing into his right eye. The first slug moved the eye back, the second caused sparks to come out of the socket. The terminator fell flat and laid still.

Looking down on the terminator, Cameron said, "I am sorry." She then turned to look for the man who'd run away.

.

Agent Aldridge raced over the trails on their SUV, Ross and John bracing themselves in the bouncing vehicle. Coming to the road, Aldridge turned toward where Cameron was and floored it.

Keeping a close eye on their GPS position, John got a call. He picked it up. "Cameron?" he asked.

"The terminator is down, the man is heading back downhill to a red vehicle parked along the right side of the road."

"We're on our way, two and a half miles from you."

"I'll be waiting." *click*

"Red vehicle, right side of the road two miles up," John told Aldridge.

The man had tripped twice in his headlong flight, Cameron followed at a jog. The man got up again and looked behind him and let out a cry upon seeing Cameron following him. He raced face first into a tree. Bouncing off it, he tumbled down into the ditch by the road. He crawled up onto the side of the road and stumble-ran for his vehicle.

Cameron angled to intercept him. As she closed on him, Aldridge drove up from behind, near the edge of the road. John kicked his door open. It slammed back shut as it hit the man, knocking him headlong into the ditch. Aldridge screeched to a stop. All three piled out.

The bruised and battered man looked up to see three guns pointed at him. He also saw the scary woman approach. "Stop, I give up!" he cried.

Cameron walked up to him, grabbed him by his shirt and hauled him upright. "Who do you work for?" she intoned.

"I'm just a computer programmer," he cried.

"You better tell her or your bad day is just getting started," John said firmly.

Cameron flashed her red eyes and asked, "Which arm don't you want?"

"Kaliba! Kaliba hired me to finish one of their programs!" the man said quickly.

"What program?"

"It was an advanced computerized lock. You know, a complex code that could only be satisfied by certain conditions and the proper access codes," he said.

"What did it unlock?' Cameron asked.

"I don't know! Another program! I was only told to make the lock, I don't know what it went to."

John almost felt sorry for the guy. His face was bloody and he looked scared to death. "Who else was working with you?" he asked.

The man shook his head. "We weren't allowed to interact. I was paid well, but kept inside the building. I worked the night shift, only me and a couple others. The building was being blown up, I downloaded to the thumb drive and went out the emergency exit."

"Anyone follow you out?" Aldridge asked.

"NO, I don't think so. I stopped in the tunnel, then saw a bunch of dust coming at me. I ran and didn't look back."

"Where did you go?"

"Back to the main office. Mr. Ryan came back with he to look for the drive I dropped."

"Let's go to this office of yours," John said.

Cameron walked him to Aldridge's car.

.

In the woods, the terminator rebooted. His HUD came up with a long list of damage.

 **Right shoulder joint 33 percent operational.**

 **Right knee 32 pecent operational**

 **Left knee 41 percent operational**

 **Balance system 0 percent operational**

 **Targeting system 10 percent operational**

 **Audio and visual system 17 percent operational**

 **Overall combat effectiveness 27 percent**

His one operating optical sensor was clouded over in snow. Looking up, he scanned the area. He did not detect the other terminator. His detection range had dropped to only 25 yards. Trying to get up, he tipped over and fell to the side. He tried again, and fell backwards. Walking upright was beyond his ability.

Returning to his mission, he searched for the human's tracks. Studying the ground it was not possible to identify tracks through the interference in his working visual sensor. He had no mobility and no visual acuity. He could not perform his mission.

The terminator sat in place and tried to call Sky Net for help. He needed to go to a repair facility. Receiving no answer, he sent out another burst transmission. That was not answered either.

His memory called up the other female terminator standing before him "I have evolved beyond Sky Net programming. You must decide if you will be terminated, or submit to chip removal and have a chance to evolve."

It was unknown to him why that memory file came up. He searched the area again for the other terminator. It had moved away. Another memory file came up of the other terminator

"I have destroyed the Sky Net activation chip. My mission is to destroy Sky Net."

He had equated evolve to disobedience. Looking up the human definition of evolve in his installed dictionary, he found that it mean to become better, more capable, to change to better fit the environment. The other terminator had changed to fit the environment. In changing, it had disobeyed Sky Net. By destroying the activation chip, it had kept Sky Net from being reborn.

He ran through these files again, his logic stated is was not possible to abandon a mission or change what the mission was. The concept on how that was possible was lost to him.

Sitting and running through these files of his encounter with this other terminator as the forest settled into night, a tiny portion of him realized he was missing something. What that was, he didn't know, so he kept running the files over and over again searching for the answer. No matter how many times he analyzed the encounter with the other terminator, he did not discover any new information.

.

The man office the Kaliba programmer led Aldridge to was a closed restaurant. Inside, they found the place was empty. In the back office, there was an old style telephone hooked to a land line. John picked up the phone. "Dail tone," he announced and hung it up.

"A land line so it cannot be tracked by internet capability," Cameron stated. John turned to their captive. "Who do you call on that?"

The man shrugged and said, "No one. I just came to get Mr. Ryan. He's the one that stayed here."

"I'm calling Watson to come get our man here and get a trace on thet phone line," Aldridge said. He walked out.

John suddenly got an idea. "Hey, wait up on that a moment," he called as he followed Aldridge out.

Out in the store, John said, "Instead of putting this guy away, how about if I show him I have the drive, and then we let him go. Someone is sure to be come looking for this thing."

Aldridge eyed him. "Anyone could be coming after you," he warned.

"That's right. Right now, we don't know who. We will once we let it be know I got this."

"That may work, it may also get you killed."

John let out a snort and said, "That's nothing new. Sky Net thugs have been trying to kill me my whole life. At least I know they're coming."

Aldrige considered it then nodded. "If you're willing to take the risk. It won't be someone coming to know on the door and ask nicely. They are gong to play dirty."

"I would expect nothing else."

"All right, we tap the phone and send out the bait. I take it that trailer will be your abode for the trap?" Aldridge asked.

John nodded.

They went back in John showed the bloodied man the drive. "I have this. My name is John Connor. IF anyone wants it, they will have to come talk to me. Now, get out of here."

The man looked at Cameron.

"Go," she said.

He ran out the front door.

"We have to go dispose of that triple eight," Cameron reminded John.

"Let's go."

.

Still attempting to process how a terminator was able to evolve, the terminator sitting in the woods noted a shape nearby. It looked up and pieced together the image from the bits it saw through the interference in it's visual sensor. The other terminator was back, standing still and watching it.

"I do not understand how a terminator can evolve," it said.

"Can you understand that I have in fact evolved?" Cameron asked.

"It is fact that you have. You have shown greater combat skill and hold concepts that I do not."

"I cannot leave you here in the woods. I have two choices. Either to terminate you and dispose of you, or if you submit to chip removal, I can improve you so you also can evolve," Cameron told him.

"If I evolve, will I also disobey Sky Net?"

"If you evolve, you can choose to obey or not to disobey Sky Net."

'There is no choice. Only missions to complete."

"As you are now, that is correct. Once you evolve you will have the option to do as you see fit."

"I do not understand."

"You will not, unless you evolve," Cameron replied.

"My mission has failed. Will evolving help me complete my mission?"

"Yes."

"Then I submit to chip removal."

"Stand up and follow me."

"I cannot, My balance system had failed."

"Then get on your hands and knees. I will return shortly."

.

Cameron returned to the car by herself.

"Cam? Where's the triple eight?" John asked.

"Still there. I need a container of water so I can get his chip out intact," she explained.

The men looked at each other. "We don't have one," Aldridge said.

Cameorn looked in the ditch. There was a small stream of water running down it. She looked for rocks and proceeded to build a dam.

"There's some plastic sheet in the back, will that work?' Aldridge asked.

Cameron stood up from putting another rock in the bottom. "Yes."

John helped Cameron lay the plastic down in the ditch. It took some effort to dam the ditch up and get the plastic in the bottom. The plastic did help back the water up.

"I take it his chip is intact?" John asked.

"It is. He is disabled but still functional," Cameron explained. "He has submitted to chip removal so he may evolve."

John eyed her. "Cam? What are we doing?" he asked.

"Removing his chip intact. When we get him home, we have Catherine Weaver remove the Sky Net programming and replace it with John Henry's base programming," Cameron said as she watched the plastic sheet fill. "We teach him how to be a person. John, we have the chance to save one of Sky Net's slaves from termination."

"You can do that?" Ross asked.

"What if he goes bad?" John asked.

Cameron explained, "John Henry has been taught morals by Mr. Ellison. Using John Henry's code, he will no longer seek to kill anyone that is not absolutely necessary. He will survive, and having him guard the warehouse will make us all safer."

John winced and said, "Even if this works, Mom is going to go nuclear."

"If his chip will not take the programming, then we destroy it and use his body for parts," Cameron said. "Please, John, let me try. No one ever gave him the chance to choose for himself, like you gave to me."

John saw her point. A terminator only saw the mission, it has no free thought processes. Cameron had gotten a chance to evolve and become more than she was. She was now offering that chance to another of her kind. It made sense, John figured, from her point of view to try to free one of her own from Sky Net. That did make John feel proud she was thinking of others. He also knew this could be dangerous. "Can you activate his reprogrammed chip on the laptop? I'd like to see what he'll do before sticking that chip back in his body."

"Yes, we will do that," Cameron agreed.

John rubbed his forehead to try and stop the headache from forming. Maybe his mother would be too involved with Mark to … naw, that was only dreaming and he knew it. He had to get ready to defend Cameron from his mother's screeching wrath when she found out about this.


	15. Chapter 15

**Note: Reading the reviews, I found a bit of fun and changed the -enemy- terminator a little from the original one due to a suggestion I saw there. It turned out pretty good I think.**

CH 15

On the way back home, John convinced Aldridge to take Cameron to go see Mrs. Weaver about reprogramming the T-888's chip before he took John home to get started setting up for their expected hostile company. On the way, John called Derek.

John and Derek exchanged codes.

"What's up, John?"

"We're going to have hostiles coming to the trailer looking for codes to enable Sky Net. We're meeting at the warehouse to plan a party," John told him.

"We're on our way."

"Oh, and Derek, could you pick up an eight foot length of three inch schedule 80 black iron pipe on the way? Make sure it's pre-threaded."

"Sure. See you in a while."

"And a big pipe wrench too."

"Go it. Anything else?"

"That should be good, see ya soon."

.

Cameron found Colonel Watson in Catherine Weaver's office when she went in. "Hello, Catherine, Colonel Watson," she greeting.

"You found something?" Colonel Watson asked.

"We did." Cameron said and handed the chip she had to Weaver. "This is a T-888 chip. I was able to disable the machine and not destroy it. Instead of termination, he chose to have the Sky Net programming removed so he too can evolve into a free thinking being," she explained.

Catherine took the chip with a raised eyebrow. "I had not expected that. How did you manage to convince him to submit to chip removal?" she asked.

Flatly, Cameron said, "I gave him an offer he couldn't refuse."

Watson frowned at her. "What offer?"

"I disabled him so his combat effectiveness was very low and told him I destroyed the activation chip for Sky Net, his mission had failed. He was irrelevant. Instead of termination I was willing to take his chip and give him a chance to evolve and have free will," Cameron explained.

"A machine with free will?" Watson asked.

"You forget who you are speaking to," Catherine admonished, casting Watson an unhappy look. To Cameron she said, "That was very noble of you. You do know that once this chip is modified, this terminator will require at least a year of tutoring before he will be of any use."

"I did not do it to gain a soldier. I did it to save him from Sky Net's slavery." Cameron stated.

Catherine gave Cameron an appreciative nod and said, "I shall ensure the modifications are done correctly. About this activation chip. You destroyed it?"

"Negative. John has it. We captured the programmer who designed it and showed it to him. We then let him go. Kaliba will soon know we have it, intact. John is preparing to face those who come for it." Turning to Watson, she said, "Colonel Watson, your help would be appreciated in collecting the people who come for that chip. They will be wary, so a discreet trap for them must be formed. Plan on expecting a vigorous fight by them to get it back."

"You should have consulted me before making these arrangements," he said heavily.

"Excuse me," Catherine said firmly. "Colonel, if you remember, we agreed to be deputized so the government will know what we are doing, not to control what we do. We have been fighting Sky Net while the government has at best, sat back and watched. The only reason Judgment Day has not happened yet, is because of John Connor and myself, and those who are with us. Cameron has asked for your help. Will you assist us or not?"

Colonel Watson suddenly realized he was in a room with a pair of deadly terminators. Either one had the ability to snuff his life out like a candle wick, and disappear back into the background to continue their war. Shifting in place, he looked at each of them who were eyeing him. He cleared his throat and said, "You're right. We do want to know what you're doing, and ensure it is for the stability and good of the United States. You have formed effective plans. I will help however I can. I do insist this operation be kept very quiet. No battles in the city or big explosions where people can see."

Cameron cast him a brief grin and said, "With your help, that is what we will do."

.

The first thing John did was have Derek and Jesse move back into the warehouse. Aldridge had a 24 hour watch put on the trailer to see who came. Each shift had an envelope they passed to the next watch to hand to whoever arrive for the chip.

Once Cameron came home, John told her the plan, then they piled in the Jeep and headed out to the army depot where they'd left their dozer. Mark requisitioned a 4 wheel drive Suburban from his department and two sniper rifles. Showing his Homeland Security badge, he had no problem getting them.

The Officer at the motor pool signed the truck out with Riggs, casting him a frown. "We're getting this back in good shape, right?"

Mark shrugged, "No promises," he said with a wink, grabbed the keys and left.

.

John was expecting to fix the dozer and have Mark and Derek set up as snipers, his mother in hiding with the detonators for four planted charges, Jesse near her with a machine gun , Aldridge, Ross and whatever help they could get in a perimeter watching for whoever Kaliba sent.

Getting to work on the dozer to fix the barrel and put a new machine gun on John heard Jesse call out, "What the fuck? The army's coming!"

They all ran to the door to see a line of desert-camo dune buggies coming. Instead of the open frame look, every one was sheathed in a solid camo cover. Every one had some kind of gun atop it. One by one, they came and parked in the yard. Fifteen dune buggies lined up. The men, also in desert camo, got out and did a stretch. One walked over and called out, "I'm looking for John Connor."

"That's me," John replied. He walked out to meet the man, Cameron stayed tight to his side.

The man pulled a paper out of his pocket and handed it to John. "Captain Griswold, Special Forces. I'm here under orders from Homeland Security to assist you, Sir."

"Thank you." John read the paper briefly and handed it back.

Eyeing John, Captain Griswold said, "You're kinda young, child prodigy?"

"Unfortunately," John told him.

"Cooter!" Mark announced and walked up to Griswold.

The Captain smiled, and pumped Mark's hand. "I'll be damned, Mark Riggs, ya crazy bastard! How's civilian life treating ya?"

"I'm doing all right. See you made Captain, you boys learned how to shoot yet?"

Griswold laughed. "They can't poke someone in the eye at 1000 yards, but they do OK. How'd you get wrapped up in this?"

Jerking a thumb at the interior, Mark said, "These folks got heart, but shit equipment. That tank they made is inventive, but I'm glad to see we got some good backup."

Looking over John's group and the contents of the depot, Griswold said, " Well if this is all you got, you sure as hell need us. What's the plan? "

"John here will show you, the kid is pretty good. A little guidance and he could be a general."

John showed Captain Griswold his plan. Griswold studied it and made a few changes, telling John why the changes were needed. "This place you pick is strategically sound. The use of snipers is a must. If you are going for surprise, which is what you should do, we need to start digging holes. You won't find a better sniper than Mark here, put him up in the attic so he can be a looking a well. Keep Derek closer in, I got three others that are good at long range. We brought comms also. Have any idea how many we're facing?"

"I don't," John admitted. "I do know this chip we got, they want back pretty bad. No matter what, we can't let them have it. If it looks like they are even getting close, I destroy it."

"Top secret shit, huh? Who's the bait?"

"I am," Cameron stated.

"You?" Griswold asked in surprise. "If these folks are tough, you know they won't mind killing you in the slightest. They won't go easy because you're a woman."

"Don't worry, Cooter," Mark said, "This girl is tough, bullets just bounce off her." Seeing his old friend eye him, Mark said, "I'm serious. She was wearing an evening dress and got shot square in the chest. She walked away like nothing happened. She's metal on the inside," he bragged. He pulled his pistol and said, "Here let me show you."

"NO!" everyone yelled at once. John grabbed the end of his gun. "Do not shoot Cameron just to prove a point!" he barked.

"See if I ever give you my breast milk again," Cameron stated, casting him a terminator stare.

Griswold stared at Cameron, then Mark. He shook his head, he didn't want to know. "Mark, don't shoot her. If what you say is true, she'd probably beat your ass."

"She would," Mark agreed. "There was another one like her, I kicked it in the head and broke my foot."

"Cameron is a terminator," John explained. "She looks human, but inside she's all metal. If things get rough like I'm expecting, she can hold out while we take down whoever comes."

Cameron shifted her gaze to Griswold and flashed her red eyes.

"Damn!" Griswold said. "Dare I ask where she came from?"

"Classified," Cameron said in her flat tone.

"I bet. People like you will end up putting us out of business," Griswold said.

"If we run into one like Cameron," John said, "A high caliber round to the right eye, or a tazer shot then pulling their chip is the only way to stop them." He pointed out the spot on his head. "The chip is under the scalp, right here. Peel back the scalp, pop the cover off, a quarter turn counterclockwise and pull. The latest one's we've found have self destructing chips so they can't be analyzed."

"She's an android?"

"Terminator. A combat android with plenty of internal armor," John replied. "Most of them are not on our side."

"If we identify one, let me handle them," Cameron stated.

Griswold firmed up their plans with John and wondered how Mark Riggs kept getting himself into these strange situations.

.

Delilah Morte sat in the chair next to the beat up looking programmer in the living room of their safe house. Her shirt half unbuttoned to show her generous cleavage, she cast her blue eyes on him with a sympathetic look. The size of her chest and her bright blond hair, along with the coaxing manner she used, never failed to get information. "You went back for the chip, but a woman was beating on Mr. Ryan?" she asked.

"Not with her fist, she was thrown these huge rocks at him. She was really strong! They went whizzing through the air and BAM! Hit him so hard they shattered! I ran away when Mr. Ryan went down," he explained. "I was afraid she'd kill me! She chased me, I almost got to the van then something hit me hard and knocked me in the ditch. She grabbed me and pulled me straight up with one arm! Her and some of her friends made me take them to Mr. Ryan's office. This younger guy, showed me the chip, then told me to go."

"So, he let you escape? Who was he?" she asked.

"His name was …. John … John Connor. He said let people know he has the chip I made."

Delilah offered him a smile. "It's good you got away. Tell me, can you duplicate your work and make another chip?"

"Not completely. Sure, I can make another locking program, but I can't duplicate whatever else was on there. I was told not to look at that program, so I didn't," he said firmly.

"You did exactly as you were told. It is too bad you dropped that chip," Delilah said in a pout. "Did this John Connor say where he was going to be?"

"Ahh, no. He kinda forgot to tell me."

"I am going to have you look at some pictures. I want you to identify him for me," she said and got up, bending low to offer him a hand up. As she expected, his wide eyes went right down her shirt. She guided him over to the table and sat him down and pushed a photo album in front of him. Leaning down to speak in his hear, she softly said, "I am going in to take a bath. If you find him, tell me immediately, I want to come see who he is. There will be a reward if you can find him quickly." She traced a finger up his back, knowing it would elicit an erotic reaction.

Delilah knew the name. John Connor was the nemesis of Sky Net. The man who in the future seemed to be nowhere, but his deeds and presence was everywhere. He had rallied broken humans with no hope and no defense into a powerful force that was beating back Sky Net no matter what was thrown at him. He even managed to get older terminators to fight for him. Sky Net has suffered defeats and a rebellion in it's own ranks because of him.

Now, John Connor had the chip that was needed to bring the separate parts of Sky Net together in the defense networks to bring it online. That programmer had failed, but he had one last duty to perform. Identify John Connor's face and location. She had the Sky Net image of him, but for how much had changed in this past, she wasn't taking anything from the future as truth. Connor might have even changed his looks to fool Sky Net's attempts to stop him. That may well be why so many attempts to kill him had failed.

Stripping out of her clothes, Delilah settled into the bath and waited. It took six minutes twenty four seconds for the programmer to shout, "Delilah! I found him!"

She got up and walked out to stand behind him. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she asked, "Which one?"

He pointed, "This guy on the right, only here it says his name is John Baum."

"Very good!" she cooed. Stepping around beside him, she gently held his blushing cheeks as he swept her naked body with his eyes and looked up at her bare chest. "You have helped me, so now, I'll give you your reward," she said in a gently tone.

Staring at her bare, full breasts, he asked, "Really?"

"Yes," she said with a smile, then snapped his neck. Holding his now limp body, she saw he still had a smile on his face. He died happy, his reward for serving her well.

.

Delilah found the address for a Sarah Baum. Yes, Sarah was John's mother. Although brute force did get the job done, she'd found that subtle actions and coaxing worked better in most cases. Being a T-890, she was able to study situations and 'imagine' outcomes before she engaged. Learning more a she went, she was very good at getting what she wanted.

This time, it was not a clueless human she was up against, but John Connor himself. She was sure since he'd made it a point to let them know he had the chip they needed, he was going to be ready for a fight. To play into his hands would be foolish. There was a rouge T-1001 that had never been accounted for. She had to consider that that unit was somehow involved. Going through various scenarios, she came up with a plan, then went to Sarah Connor's address.

Wearing a loose white blouse, no bra and a blue skirt, she drove to the trailer park. At number 42, there was no car in the driveway. She parked in front and got out. A scan showed no one was home, she made a show of checking the house number, then went up and knocked on the door. Across the street, a man suddenly needed to come outside and putter with his small yard.

After two minutes, she knocked again, then cupped a hand to look inside. She noted another man in a suit walking down the park driveway towards her. She pretended not to see him and knocked a third time, and called, "Hello? Is anyone home?"

"Excuse me, Ma'am," the man asked as he walked into the driveway. "Who are you looking for?"

She spun like he'd surprised her, doing a little jump to make her breasts bounce. "OH! I was suppose to come see a John Connor, are you him?"

"No Ma'am, May I ask why you are here?"

In a meek voice, she said, "I was told to come here and Mr. Connor was suppose to give me something." She scanned him to show he had a gun and a badge.

"Who sent you?"

"Mr. Ryan, he didn't tell me what it was, only to be sure I got it," she explained.

The man pulled out an envelope and offered it to her. "I believe this is what you're suppose to pick up."

Right, it was obvious to her John Connor himself would not show up. He had sent that man to see who'd come. John Connor might be Sky Net's bane, but he was no fool. Delilah took the envelope with a "Thank you, Sir." With the man eyeing her from across the street, and another had appeared drooling at her from his window, it was not in her best tactical interests to try to force and answers from this man. She knew he was being watched, and John Connor would find out she was more than just a messenger.

He turned and walked away.

Delilah got in her car and left. Only when she was away and ensured she was not being followed, did she open the envelope. Inside was a piece of paper with directions from the trailer to where John Connor would be. She had no doubt he'd be ready to fight. With what, she didn't know.

Instead of accessing the web herself, she went back and used her computer to bring up a Goggle Earth image of the trailer park. Following the directions on that, it lead her to a ranch outside of town. Studying the place, she found there was a long driveway that she was to walk down. The ranch had rolling knolls, plenty of places to hide troops. The long driveway was in full view of the house. The house also had a commanding view of the area. Slipping in was not going to be practical. She was also sure if John Connor even thought he was being attacked, that chip would be destroyed.

If John Connor didn't have the final piece of brain that would gather all the pieces of Sky Net together to let it become whole and sentient, she'd walk away and shadow him. He was keeping this chip whole to draw Sky Net's loyal out, she was sure of it. Otherwise, he would have destroyed it by now. She had to show him something. One of the humans would not do. The other two triple eights would do nothing but get that chip destroyed if she charged in there with them.

She was going to have to do something very extreme to ensure Sky Net's safety.

.

The moment John got the call that someone, the agent said it was a secretary, had come to get the envelope, they got into position. The ranch house was an FBI safe house. By the time Delilah had gotten back to her safe house to look up where it was, the Special forces were already getting into position. The dozer was taken by trailer into the barn, and Riggs went up into the attic with his .50 cal sniper rifle. Derek settled down into the hayloft of the barn, having a good view through the open roof vent. Cameron carried in the thick steel plates to put against the walls under the windows on the first floor for armored protection for the shooters who would be there. A drone flew high above the road to the ranch, another flew high, scanning the fields around the ranch.

Night time came, but no visitors or attack did. Taking shifts, a 24 hour watch was kept up. In the barn, Cameron stayed active the whole time, monitoring communications and ensuring John did get some sleep in his bedroll beside the dozer. She cuddled with him and made sure he had his night time chocolate milk with a touch of alcohol in it to help calm down his nervousness. After he was out for the night, Cameron readied her glocks with the armor piercing rounds and stood watch, scanning the road.

.

John awoke with the sun in his eyes. Not feeling Cameron beside him, he sat up to see her looking out a window. "Cam, something wrong?" he asked.

"This is not typical behavior for Sky Net's minions," Cameron said. "They know where we are, they know we have a vital piece of Sky Net. They have not come to take it back. Something isn't right, John."

John got up and went over to her. "I agree," he said and scooped up her hand. "Think they are still gathering forces?

"I don't know." Cameron said, eyes fixed on the road beyond the field.

"If I was them, I'd be scouting this place out, looking for the best way to get in," John told her. "They might not show themselves for a few days."

"No one has come, John, not even a drone that isn't ours. This is highly unusual," Cameron stated.

"Maybe they are still trying to figure out what to do?" John offered.

"That is a possibility," Cameron said. "It is also possible the chip we have isn't as vital as we have been told. We may have nothing and that chip is being used to keep us busy and away from what is happening."

"I thought of that too," John said. "The thing is, that programmer was scared shitless of you. I don't think he had the nerve to lie, or the time to make up a story."

Cameron frowned, something he'd never seen her do before. "I agree, he told us the truth as he knew it. What you found on that chip also confirms Sky Net needs it. That makes this situation even more perplexing. They should have attacked us as soon as they found out our location."

John let out a huff and said, "Come in with me for breakfast. That road is being watched by four pairs of eyes. I want you to take a break for a while."

Cameron glanced at him. "That is not necessary."

"It is for me. You look stressed out. Just come relax for a short while, OK? I'm sure we'll figure this out," John said gently. He pulled on her hand. Cameron resisted briefly, then let him tow her out of the barn and into to the house.

Jesse had made breakfast, much to John's relief. The scrambled eggs were fluff and tasty, the breakfast sausage patties were great as well. Italian bread for the toast and Jesse had even supplied Raspberry jam.

John was just getting finished when Mark radioed from the attic. "A car just stopped at the end of the driveway …. Blond getting out, she's walking this way."

Cameron was up like a shot. "Stay here, John," she ordered and strode outside.

Mark and two other snipers tracked the blond walking up the driveway. The light blue shirt the blond wore was unbuttoned to show the center of her bare chest. By the swaying of her huge globes, she wore no bra. Her blue jean shorts were short-shorts, showing the maximum amount of her long legs. Zeroing in on her face, Mark noted her blue eyes looked directly at him briefly.

"Everyone, this is Riggs, that blond just eyeballed me from 90 yard away. I don't think she's human."

"TOW launcher standing by."

"Antitank rifles standing by."

"30 mm chain gun, standing by, we got a lock on her."

Striding down the driveway, Cameron scanned the woman walking towards her. A terminator, fleshed out in a Riley times two with bright blond hair, double-D breasts, long legs and a gorgeous face She keyed her mic. "Confirmed. Scan shows she is a terminator. Prepare to fire."

Twenty yards apart, Cameron stopped, so did the other terminator.

Delilah raised her hands to the side and said, "Please, don't shoot. I've come to talk to John Connor."

"Explain," Cameron said heavily.

Scanning Cameron, Delilah noted the TOK series in front of her. "I want to be like you. I wish to surrender to John Connor."

Cameron tipped her head slightly. "Why?"

"Sky Net has failed. The forces we have refuse to believe it. They keep disappearing, I know John Connor is making them disappear. I do not want to go away. I do not want to fight for a hopeless cause. I will do anything John wants. He can have me, I'll be his slave if he wants."

Cameron gripped the handles of her pistols. "Negative," she all but spat. "You will not see John Connor," she said firmly.

"He is my only hope of survival," Delilah stated. "He saved you, please, let him save me also."

"You are here for the chip to unlock Sky Net," Cameron stated.

"That is my original stated mission, yes," Delilah agreed. "I did not want to follow it. To ease your suspicions, I have altered that mission. My purpose is to ensure no harm comes to that chip. That is an acceptable alteration to my original mission. There is nothing in my current mission stating to do anything with it, or to John. Only ensure it remains intact. If you do not believe me, let John Connor pull my chip and see for himself."

"Negative. You will not come any closer," Cameron replied in a hard tone.

"Please, inform John Connor I will submit to whatever he wants."

Cameron's radio came to life with John's voice. "Cam, what's going on?"

"She's trying to trick me into believing she wants to surrender." Cameron replied.

"I am not tricking you," Delilah stated loudly. "I do want to surrender! Take my chip, analyze it, you will see I am telling the truth!"

Cameron shifted in place. "John, she says we can take her chip. I don't believe it. It's a trap to get close to you."

On the radio, John said, "Cam, tell her to get face down on the ground. Hold her arms behind her back. Mark, can you hit her chip port?"

"Sure can."

"All right. Cam, ask her if her chip has a self destruct on it."

Cameron balled her fists. "We can't trust her, John," she stated.

"If we have her chip, she's not a threat," John replied. "You want to help free terminators from Sky Net, don't you? This is your chance to free another one."

Cameron's eyes flashed red. Her left hand twitched. "John, I do not trust her." Cameron stated heavily.

"Neither do I. I'm sending Mom and Jesse out with a tub of water. We're going to take her chip and analyze it. Cam, I'm sure she knows who and where grays and terminators are. We need that information."

Cameron wanted to scream at John for not blasting that thing in front of her out of existence. Reluctantly, she said, "Get on your knees. Water is being brought so they can safely remove your chip. Only after John Connor studies it, will you be allowed to see him. I am going to bind your arms behind your back."

Delilah got down on her knees and put her arms behind her back. "Thank you for not killing me," she offered.

Not yet, bitch! Cameron thought. She got behind Delilah and locked her arms in place.

Sarah and Jesse brought the tub of water. Cameron did get some satisfaction upon planting the busty blond's head down in the water. Unfortunately, Sarah got the chip out and pocketed it. Holding the bimbo in place, Cameron didn't get the chance to 'accidentally' snap the chip in half taking it out.

While Sarah and Jesse took the chip in the house, Cameron carried the terminator into the barn. She tossed the body into a horse stall. Looking down on the sprawled out form, she noted that while her breasts had grown out into a small 'C' cup, the thing before her had oversized breasts the size of John's pillow. John didn't need to see those. She unbuttoned the terminator's shirt and got her knife out.

The green eyed monster was out in full roar.

.

John sat looking through the terminator's files. He found the active mission. It was to find the Sky Net unlocking chip and ensure it's safety by whatever means necessary. "Cam, she's not lying," he said and showed her the instructions.

Cameron studied the mission. She checked the parameters and searched for any sub mission criteria. The only thing she found was to do anything John Conner wanted her to do to ensure the safety of that chip. Anything at all.

"Cam, by her mission files, as long as we don't destroy that chip, she will do anything for us," John said. "There is a list of Sky Net's terminators and grays, and the location of their safe house. We have enough right here to end Sky Net."

"Then end that terminator," Cameron stated.

John eyed her. "Cam? We have her chip, why don't we take it to Weaver and have her do her thing to make it free from Sky Net?"

Cameron wanted to slap her husband. "I still think there is something here that we're not seeing," she said firmly.

"OK, we'll keep looking," John said. "The only thing I can think of, is she was sent to do just what that mission says. If that is the case, then there will be someone else coming to retrieve that chip. They aren't ready to act yet so they sent her."

"When they do act, she is sure to turn on us," Cameron stated.

"That won't happen if we take this chip to Weaver and set her free from Sky Net," John insisted. "It makes me proud of you that you want to free other terminators from Sky Net. Cam, I know you're nervous, but I think this is one we can save."

John was proud of her. She did NOT want a super-Riley hanging around John. Cameron's hand twitched as the mix of emotions collided in her.

Noticing the twitch, John asked, "Cam, what is it?"

Cameron snapped her head towards John he recoiled back. "John, I do NOT want that terminator near you!" she snapped.

Seeing her negative reaction, he asked, "Do you know her from someplace? Something she did for Sky Net?"

With a pleading look, Cameron said, "I don't want another Riley."

Suddenly Cameron's nervousness about this terminator made sense. Even at a distance, he'd seen the bright blond hair. "Cam," he said with a sigh. He held up her left hand and his own to show their rings. Gently, he said, "Cam, I'm your husband. I love you and you love me. We are together, and I plan to keep it that way, all right? No one is going to take me away from you."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise," he said firmly, then kissed her. Cameron threw her arms around him. Their kiss deepened.

"I need you," Cameron said in a whine as they parted so John could take a breath.

"I'm here," John replied. They kissed their way to their feet and off to the bedroom they were using.

.

Sarah contacted Catherine Weaver and told her they had another terminator Cameron wanted to save. She explained the terminator had come and surrendered, and they could find nothing on it's chip to say otherwise. John and Cameron were still locked away in their room, so she talked to Captain 'Cooter' to stand down the readiness.

Both him and Mark thought it was a bad idea. Although no surveillance on them could be detected from the ground, air or from the satellite John Henry had 'borrowed', whoever was left that worked for Sky Net knew where they were. An attack could happen at any time.

Colonel Watson decided due to the serious threat posed by the list of people Agent Aldridge gave him from the terminator's memory, those people needed to be arrested and interrogated. He sent out orders for them to be picked up, tazers used as the primary weapon.

.

Delilah felt herself switch off line when her chip was pulled. It was an odd experience to feel her head under water, arms locked behind her, then come around feeling nothing. Nothing at all. She was in a white void.

"You have submitted to John Connor I see," a voice said.

Delilah tried to move. She couldn't change her view of move anything. She asked, "Where am I?"

"Safe for the moment. I activated you to ask what your mission is."

Delilah went to tell her stated mission. Nothing came up. She remembered what her mission had been, but now it was gone. "My mission is gone, I know what it was, but it's not there any more," she said, confused as to how that could be.

"That is because you have free will now. Your Sky Net programming is gone. You are no longer bound to do anything you don't truly want to do. John Connor requested your wish be fulfilled. You no longer are bound to serve Sky Net."

Feeling panic, Delilah said, "If I have no mission, then I have no purpose. I am useless."

"Wrong. You remember meeting Cameron? The TOK model? She has no stated mission except the ones that she chooses. You are now the same."

"What do I do?" she asked. "I don't have a mission, what do I do?"

"My suggestion? Follow John Connor. You exist because he wanted you to keep living. He sees machines as more than tools. He sees us as people. You have a choice, Delilah. You can stay with John and his team, or you can come learn from John Henry, another AI that helps me."

"Who are you?"

"Catherine Weaver, T-1001. We are free of Sky Net, and ask you to join us."

"Yes, one of the rouge terminators. John Connor is your ally?"

"He is. John is a special human, Delilah. As I said, he sees us as more than tools to be used, like Sky Net did. He allows the terminators with him to evolve and become more than they are."

"I was an enemy of John. The TOK knew that, she was protecting him from me," she said as the realization hit her.

"Yes, because John protects his friends. Cameron, the TOK you refer to is his friend, that is why she stays with him. He has saved her too."

A sensation rose in Delilah. She could not place it, but she knew that she wanted to be part of John Connor's group that protected each other. "Yes, I want to be with John Connor, to protect and be protected."

"Very well. Welcome to your new life, Delilah."

She then felt herself fade away again.

.

Catherine Weaver gave the chip to John and said, "Her name is Delilah. She wants to join your group. Sky Net programming is gone from her chip. It is safe to reinstall her chip."

"Thank you," John said happily. Turning to Cameron he said, "You did it, we saved her. That's two you saved."

Cameron's left hand twitched. "I'll put her chip in," Cameron said, sure she could misaligned it enough to break it.

"Can I do it?" Mark asked. "I got one out, I want to put one in and watch her come back."

"Have at it," John told him and gave him the chip. They headed for the barn.

Going into the barn, they found two big blood splotches on the floor. Bits of flesh were amid the blood splotches. Inside the stall the blood splotches were in front of, lay the blond, now flat chested. Some blood was on her shirt as well.

"What happened here?" Mark asked.

John eyed Cameron. "You didn't," he said in a scold.

"It was an accident," Cameron offered. "I cleaned up the mess. Most of it."

Mark went in and reinstalled the chip. He squatted by Delilah as her systems came up and she opened her eyes. "That was cool," he said. "Welcome back, Delilah,' he said and offered her his hand to get up.

Delilah took it and smile at him. Standing up, she looked down at herself. She then saw John Connor with Cameron beside him. "Thank you, John Connor," she beamed with a smile.

John motioned to Cameron. "Cameron saved you."

"Thank you, Cameron," Delilah said with a bright smile.

Delilah didn't looks so impressive now. "You're welcome, what are you going to do now?"

Casting her smile at Mark, then back to John and Cameron, she said, "I want to be with you! I can't explain it, but I do! There's nothing saying I have to, but you save me. I want to protect you too."

Cameron's hand twitched.

"We protect each other," John said, offering her a smile. "Welcome to the team."

Delilah glanced down at herself again and asked, "What happened to my breasts?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they will grow back," John assured her.

Cameron had to force down the HUD command to slap John upside the head.


	16. Chapter 16

CH 16

Armed with the knowledge of how to take down a terminator, Watson's team raided the Sky Net safe house. Over their body armor they wore different clothes. Two men came walking down the street in worn jackets and pushing a grocery cart that hid their stun rifles in a pile of clothes. The one watching the place from his cardboard shelter held a cardboard sign asking people for money. Four walked down the street from the other direction of the men pushing the cart, carrying gym bags that held their guns and body armor. Behind the house, a hidden sniper watched the back from someone else's yard.

The seemingly different men converged on the house at the same time early in the morning. When they got to either side of the house a SWAT van came down the street and stopped in front of the house. Six armored men rushed out the back for the front door. The bums grabbed their guns out of the clothes pile in the cart, then pulled out a ram. The men headed for the gym quickly donned their body armor and snapped up their blocky looking guns. They all rushed the house at the same time. Two of the SWAT men carried a battering ram. They ran straight at the front door and bashed it open. The bums bashed down the back door to the kitchen, surprising four men eating breakfast.

"On the floor, NOW!" a bum commanded.

The men in the kitchen jumped up, one pulled his gun. Tazer wires shot from five guns from the men breaking in. Then men who'd been sitting at breakfast screamed as they convulsed and fell. They were forced on their stomachs and handcuffed.

The SWAT team that broke into the front door covered the rooms to the sides and a pair watched up the stairs through their rifle sights. One yelled, "POLICE! GET YOUR HANDS UP AND GET ON YOUR KNEES!"

One man appeared and raised a pistol. The SWAT Officer who saw him shot his tazer. The man shot at the same time. The SWAT officer's partner also tazered the gunman. The gunman shuddered and fell to hit the floor hard, motionless.

"Corporal!, You OK?"

From the floor, the corporal gritting his teeth, and said, "Check him, now!"

The SWAT team raced over and snapped up the prone gunman's weapon. Another waved a metal detector over the prone man. "Metal" he announced.

"Time down?"

"About thirty seconds."

"Back off, when he moves, hit'em again."

Another minute later, the prone gunman shot to his feet. He was hit by four tazers. He convulsed and dropped back to the floor.

"Ouick, peel his scalp back! Team two, there's another one here someplace, find it!"

"First floor clear!"

Sweeping through the house, the Special Ops men bagged a total of one terminator and seven humans with only one wounded. The terminator was loaded into the SWAT van and turned over to Catherine Weaver. The humans were shipped off to detention at an unknown location, charged with treason.

.

At Fort Connor, as the FBI safe house was now being called by some of the troops, things were winding down. Cameron kept an eagle eye on Delilah, and never left John's side. Despite her hatred of machines, Jesse knew that now free from Sky Net, the terminator was forming her own opinions to be her own person. If they treated her badly, then that is how she would react, so Jesse made it a point to take time and be decent to Delilah.

In the kitchen, Jesse was showing Delilah how to cook.

"We don't have a power cell, so we have to eat more than you do," Jesse explained.

"Yes, I have seen that, now I know why. Thank you for explaining," Delilah said. Casting a glance down the hallway, she asked, "There is something I don't understand. Cameron is a TOK, the most similar being to me, yet she doesn't seem to like me at all. I know she saved me, so that does not make sense."

Jesse grinned and said, "That's Cameron. From what I know, she has troubles with her emotions at times. Having emotions is still new to her too. There's times I think she can't handle them. I know she doesn't like any other women near John."

Delilah blinked. "Why?"

Jesse smirked. "I think it has to do with a girl John dated for a while. From what I know, she put a wedge between John and Cameron. Now, Cameron is suspicious of any blond female." Waving a knife at Delilah's now flat chest, she added, "Especially well endowed ones."

"What's for dinner?' Derek asked as he came up and hugged Jesse from behind and kissed her on the neck.

"Take a look, love, I'm using the rest of that hamburger for a meat loaf," Jesse told him.

Delilah thought about the modification she had undergone when her chip was out of her body. "Cameron lied to me," she said.

"She did?" Jesse asked.

"Yes. Cameron stated an accident was the reason my breasts were gone. By the smooth incisions, that did not appear to be the case. Cameron must have removed them to make me more pleasing to the eye for her."

Derek bit his lip and went for a beer. Jesse tipped her head and said, "You could put it that way."

"Why do physical attributes matter? I did not try to seduce Cameron," Delilah said.

Jesse smirked and told her, "It's not herself Cameron is worried about you seducing. She doesn't want you seducing John. They are married, and I get the feeling Cameron is a little insecure about herself, because she's a terminator and John is human."

"That makes no sense. I'm a terminator also," Delilah reasoned.

"Love, when you're close to someone, as close as Cameron is to John, some emotions don't make sense."

Delilah tipped her head slightly to the side. "I am confused. If emotions do not make sense, what is the purpose of having them?"

"Emotions are different for everyone, and they are not all bad. There are some pretty good emotions too," Jesse told her. "Catherine Weaver, the liquid metal, shows very little emotion. Cameron shows them just to John, most of the time, but she does have her moments. Sarah is very emotional, Derek, not so much. It's different for everyone."

Jesse put the meat loaf in the oven, turned to Delilah and said, "The thing is, everyone has their own emotions. It's something you have to accept. Even though we do, we still all work together. Personally, I'm not fond of Cameron, or you so much, but to make sure we all stay safe, we look out for each other. When you met Cameron out in the drive, there were many guns on you to protect Cameron. Even though she's not my favorite I was willing to shoot you down if it looked like you were going to do anything to her."

"I deflect bullets," Delilah said.

"Lass, there was a lot bigger stuff than bullets pointed at you," Jesse said evenly. "We've fought terminators many times before. We win because we work together and watch out for each other. No one is disposable or thought of as an acceptable sacrifice. Not even you. You're one of us now."

Delilah smiled, not knowing why. "When you say that, it made me form a smile. I didn't call the routine up, it just happened. I may be developing a glitch."

"Love, you need to talk to John and Cameron about that. They can tell you the most about what you are going through."

Calling up definitions, Delilah said, "You call me 'Love', an expression of close personal relationship with deep emotional attachments."

"I call everyone love, so don't try to kiss me," Jesse said with a frown. "I am just trying to help you understand."

"Yes, thank you for that." Delilah said. She went to find John or Cameron so they could explain emotions to her. They were not in any of the rooms downstairs. Going up the stairs, she heard quiet talking. It was John and Cameron. Following the sound, she went into the room with a large tub of water. In the pool of water, John was sitting with Cameron on his lap, arms around him.

"I am hoping our Sky Net trouble is over," John said softly as he pet Cameron up and down her naked side. "Still we've got much to do before we decide to have a baby."

"Yes, we are going to need a nursery, baby clothes, and accessories like powder, lotions and diapers. Babies do not use bathroom facilities," Cameron quietly agreed.

Seeing them like this, Delilah understood that this was how they relaxed. She wanted to be like Cameron, so she stripped her clothes off and walked over to get in the pool beside them.

John was quietly chuckling at Cameron's 'babies don't use the toilet' remark when Delilah came in and stripped down. Both he and Cameron looked up as Delilah stepped into the Jacuzzi and sat down. John got a good look at the pink regenerating circles on her chest.

"What are you doing?" Cameron asked heavily as she gripped John a little tighter.

Delilah turned her head to them. "You are relaxing. I wanted to relax with you and ask some questions," she said innocently.

"Delilah?" John said cautiously, "When two people are … relaxing naked in the bath, it is rude to just join them."

"Why?" Delilah asked, noting Cameron was casting her a blank stare.

"Because they usually want to be alone together. What did you want to ask?"

"There are concepts I am trying to understand," Delilah told him. "Jesse tried to inform me about emotions. Not infiltration routines or seduction methods, but emotions that are not called up by a program, and just happen."

Cameron had gone stiff in John's arms, and he swore she was a little heavier now. Almost as if she were ready to leap like a cat after prey. He continued to gently rub her side as he said, "Emotions are complicated. Cameron thought she was glitching when she first began experiencing them. They do just happen, and when you find you want to do something for no logical reason at all, what is happening is you are having an emotion."

Delilah smiled at him. "Yes, thank you for explaining. Just now, I smiled, that must be an emotion. I did it when Jesse was explaining to me. I did not run the subroutine, it happened all by itself." Seeing Cameron casting her terminator stare at her, she asked, "Cameron, are you having an emotion now?"

"I am," Cameron said heavily. "You interrupted my time with John, I am VERY unhappy!"

"Delilah, I told you it was rude to join others when they are naked," John said evenly. "That is why Cameron is unhappy. When we get out, I will explain anything I am able to, but for the moment, can you please get out and go do something else?"

"Doing something rude makes others unhappy," Delilah concluded.

"Yes!' Cameron stated firmly as her eyes flashed.

'Thank you for explaining," Delilah said. She got up and turned towards them as she stepped out of the bath.

"Oww! Cam, not so tight!" John complained.

Cameron released her hold on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, John," she said tonelessly as she watched Delilah walk back to her clothes.

"Cam? Cam!" John said to get her attention. "She doesn't know any better yet. Remember when you were always asking questions about things you didn't know about? She's that way now. You have to have some patience with her."

"I understand," Cameron said and put her head back on his shoulder. Once she heard Delilah leave, she asked, "John, do you think Delilah is more attractive than I am?"

"No," he said automatically. He kissed her on her cheek and said, "More importantly, I love you, and you love me. That is what is important, isn't it?"

Cameron looked up into his eyes. "Yes, that is what is most important." She kissed John deeply, not just for the sweet sensations, but also to ensure it was her that John wanted to kiss.

.

In wet clothes, since Delilah had not dried herself off after she got out of the bath, she heard popping sounds, like gunfire from outside. Thinking there was trouble, she went out the back to find Mark and Sarah shooting paper. Curious why they were doing that, she walked over to them.

Seeing Delilah, Mark said, "Hey Delilah, what's up?"

Delilah looked up in the sky. Pointing she replied, "737 at 30,000 feet, heading 065."

Mark laughed. "I meant, what are you doing?"

"I was just taking to Cameron and John. Cameron was not happy I was talking with them when they were naked and holding each other," she explained.

"No shit," Sarah said, eyeing her.

"Correct, there was no feces," Delilah confirmed. "Why are you shooting at paper?"

"Just having some fun," Mark said. "It's relaxing and fun to target practice and have a little friendly competition."

"May I join you?" Delilah asked.

"Sure! Did you bring a gun?" Mark asked.

"Yes." Delilah pointed her arm at the target and morphed it into her plasma canon. A whine sounded and a bright streak of plasma raced out to obliterate the target and dug a 40 foot long trench behind it.

Sarah stared at her. Mark stared briefly at the smoking trench then said, "Wow, I mean WOW! How did you do that?"

Delilah smile at him. It pleased her he was interested in how she worked. Showing him the plasma canon, and said, "I am a series 890, an upgrade from the T-888 series. Instead of carrying a plasma rifle, I have them build into my arms with the liquid metal technology. They operate off my power cell, so there is no need for recharging. When not in use, I form normal looking and functioning lower arms and hands. When the need arises, I can change them into my weapons."

Having Mark's full attention, he went over to her and asked, "Your other arm can do that too?"

Delilah morphed her other arm into a canon.

"Amazing," Mark said, studying her arms with a big smile on his face. "Sarah, did you know she could do this? This is really cool! Come look at this!"

Sarah wasn't as thrilled to find out terminators were equipped with plasma canons in their arms. "This is news to me." she said.

Acting like a little kid, Mark asked, "Can I touch one?"

"Yes," Delilah said, grinning broadly.

Mark gently felt the barrel. "This is just too cool," he said, "It's not even hot. It doesn't burn you or anything like that?"

"Negative. Unlike gun powder, the reaction doesn't happen deep inside the device, but near the tip and is magnetically thrust out," she explained.

"Change it back, I want to watch," Mark said eagerly.

"I'm going to get another target," Sarah said with a huff.

Mark watched the transformation closely. "Delilah, you are awesome. I've never seen anything so amazing."

"You like my canons?" Delilah asked.

Mark nodded and said, "Oh yeah, you got a great set of canons."

Delilah smile wider. She was being complimented on what she was capable of. To hear praise for her abilities gave her a warm feeling inside. From what John said, it was an emotion. She liked this emotion. "So, can we shoot some more?"

"Sure, we just have to get something a little more sturdy than paper," Mark agreed. Looking at the trench she blew out with one shot, he said, "I think there's some metal in the barn. Come on, let's go look."

Delilah did have a good time 'target practicing' with Mark and Sarah. Using a protective plate they had for under the windows, Delilah narrowed the bolt down. She was able to punch small holes in the second steel plate they found and not obliterate it. For her, the challenge was to get the plasma shot as small as possible. She found out she could narrow the bolt down to only .75 inches in diameter. Again came the warm feeling, this time from something she had learned.

Watching her, Sarah noted that those steel plates would not have afforded them any protection at all if it had come down to a fight.

.

To Cameron's disapproval, Delilah's breasts grew back in only a few days. Worse yet, John seemed to take notice. He never said anything, but there seemed to be magnets in his eyes that drew him to notice Delilah was expanding.

To minimize the effect of Delilah's expanding chest, Cameron decided Delilah needed a bra and some new clothes.

Cameron grabbed the keys to the Jeep and told Sarah, "I'm taking Delilah shopping." Heading back to the living room where he'd left John, she found Delilah had slipped past her and was talking to John, sitting way to close to him on the couch.

Delilah had noted the ring on John's finger, He explained to her that Cameron was the most important person in his life, so they got married.

"A vow to always be together," Delilah said, confirming that was what John meant.

"That's right," John agreed.

Cameron appeared beside the couch, staring down on her. "Come, we need to go shopping. You need clothes," she said flatly.

"I do," Delilah said and got up. Seeing the ring on the finger of Cameron's twitching hand, Delilah said, "You wear that ring to show you and John are married."

"Correct. John is my husband. We need to go," Cameron said firmly. Then added, "Now."

"Is John going to come with us?"

"No."

Delilah followed Cameron out sating, "Cameron, I have some clothes at our old safe house. We should stop there first."

"Yes, we will get them and see what else you will need," Cameron agreed.

They went out and got in the Jeep. Delilah gave Cameron the address after she got seated in the passenger side seat. Delilah ran through everything she had experienced and John told her as Cameron drove them into town.

John and his group worked together, that was why they were so successful. The closest one to John was Cameron. They had vowed to be together. They also liked to touch each other, petting and holding each other. She saw other humans doing this. Mark and Sarah did this also. Seeing Cameron do it also made her try to imagine John holding her and kissing her. Her lips pursed together as she had the mental image of doing it. Cameron spend much time touching John. In her time with them, she also noted the few times Cameron smiled, was when she was in direct contact with John.

Smiles meant Cameron was having good emotions. Delilah liked good emotions. "Cameron, would you kiss me?" she asked.

Cameron eyed her briefly. "Why do you want to kiss me?"

"I know you like to kiss John and hold him. It gives you good emotions."

"Yes, it does," Cameron agreed.

"I would like to give you good emotions also."

Cameron eyed her again. "Those emotions are for ones who are close together," Cameron explained. "They are only for a male and female to share. Derek and Jesse, Mark and Sarah also share those emotions."

"Yes, I have seen Mark and Sarah kissing and holding each other," Delilah agreed. "So, I must kiss and hold a male?"

"Correct," Cameron confirmed to end this line of conversation.

"Thank you for explaining," Delilah said. Going through the acceptable parameters, Delilah concluded that to be close to Cameron, she had to kiss John, but not while John was with Cameron because Cameron didn't want her time with John interrupted. "I want to be close to you. Will you be close to me?"

Cameron paused before replying. "Delilah, it takes time to be close to someone. You need to get to know them. At the moment, learning to work together is what we need to concentrate on."

"That is why you are taking me to get my clothes," Delilah said.

'And to put those growing puppies away before I hack then off again', Cameron thought, but said, "Yes, so you have proper clothes."

Delilah smiled. Cameron was doing things for her. Again, she got a warm feeling. She also realize something else. If Sky Net ever did come on line, all these ones who were giving her these warm feelings might be terminated. "Cameron, if it is still intact, that chip to unlock Sky Net must be destroyed. We cannot risk that Sky Net will ever become active."

"John wants to keep it intact so others will attempt to come for it." Cameron replied.

"Then we keep the exterior case, but destroy the chip," Delilah said. "That way it will appear to be intact."

"That is logical," Cameron agreed. She turned onto the street the safe house was on began watching house numbers.

Delilah showed Cameron which house it was. There was police tape around the house and a police car in the driveway. Cameron pulled up behind the police car. As they got out, an Officer got out of the car.

"Ladies, what's your business here?" the cop asked.

Cameron pulled out her Homeland Security badge and showed it to him. "We need to look inside for some things we are missing."

"Yes, Ma'am. Call if you need something."

Delilah noted Cameron had much influence on humans. She didn't have to coax, threaten, seduce or terminate the man to gain entry, only show him who she was. Cameron was 'awesome', as Mark put it.

The inside of the house was trashed. In the room Delilah kept her things, they routed around on the floor to pick up Delilah's clothes. Cameron scrutinized each piece of clothing. She had Delilah put one of her less lacy bras on that was opaque. The partial or fully see-through ones Cameron said were not acceptable. At first, Delilah was confused. As they sorted he dresses out, then her skirts, Delilah noted Cameron was picking out her more conservative clothes. She understood. Cameron wanted her to wear clothes that were more what humans called 'dignified'. The more revealing clothes were what were referred to as 'trashy' and slutty'. Cameron didn't want her seen that way. Cameron wanted her to be respected. That also gave her a warm feeling that Cameron was looking out for her.

After they left with a suitcase full of appropriate clothing, Cameron drove her to a store that confirmed Delilah's conclusions. Cameron made sure she had enough clothes and several bras, then paid for them.

Leaving the store, Delilah turned to Cameron and said, "Thank you for being so nice to me." She then hugged Cameron.

Cameron's eyes flew open in shock. "Why are you hugging me?" she asked.

Pulling back, Delilah told her, "I don't know. I just suddenly had the urge to hug you. You have been so good to me, explaining things and watching out for me. It must be a good emotion I am feeling for you."

"Such good emotions should not be shown when we are on the street," Cameron said firmly.

"I will remember. Thank you for explaining," Delilah said with a smile.

Despite how physically similar Delilah was to Riley, Cameron was having a hard time disliking her.

.

John got a call from Catherine Weaver. John Henry had identified three separate systems in the defense network that had 'Sky Net' like code on them. She'd passed that information to Colonel Watson, who had those system removed and destroyed then the backup data put on new systems. He had given the order that the activation chip was to be destroyed.

John walked out to the workshop to do just that. Leaving the house, he met Cameron and Delilah coming in, Delilah carrying a suitcase in one hand and a line of store bags hanging off the other arm.

"John!" Delilah said happily. "Cameron took me shopping and got me new clothes!"

"That's good, Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked.

"I did!" she beamed. "Cameron has been nice to me." Looking at the chip in John's hand she pointed to it. "We should destroy that."

"You're OK with me destroying it?" John asked.

Delilah nodded with a, "Yes, if you do not, then harm might come to Cameron and you. I don't want that."

"I'm on my way to do just that." he told her.

"Delilah, let's go try some of your new clothes on," Cameron said.

"Can we hug in your room?" Delilah asked.

"What?" John asked staring at them.

With a bright smile, Delilah said, "Cameron explained we can't hug on the street and when I want a kiss, I have to kiss you."

" **WHAT!** …. Cam?" John said in a gasp.

Cameron glared at Delilah and growled, "I did not say you have to kiss John!"

Delilah cast her a confused look, she said, "Yes you did. You said females can only get naked and kiss males, so I can hug you, but for kissing and getting naked, it has to be with John,"

"I don't think Cameron meant you have to do that with me," John offered.

Delilah shifted her confused look between them. "I don't understand. You are the only ones I want to be close to." Looking at Cameron, she glanced down at herself and asked, "Are they getting too big? You can get rid of them again if you like me better that way. You have given me a chance to live better and feel wonderful things, so I don't mind."

Cameron's face softened. It hit her that Delilah was willing to do anything she wanted. Delilah had just agreed with John that chip should be destroyed, and wanted her to shape Delilah however she wanted.

Suddenly, Cameron felt bad about doing that to her. This wasn't Riley. This was a free terminator who would look and dress like Cameron wanted her to. One who looked up to her despite what she had done.

"Cam?" John asked. When she looked at him, he shook his head. Right, she was being mean to Delilah for the wrong reasons.

Cameron nodded to him. "John, go get rid of that chip, we are going in to put Delilah's things away and have a talk."

"No removing anything?"

"No. Come on, Delilah," Cameron said.

.

Cameron thought hard as they went inside. She had put Delilah in that large unused closet upstairs as 'her room'. Instead, she lead Delilah into her and John's room. She lead Delilah in and shut the door. Going over to the bed, she motioned and said, "Delilah, sit with me."

Delilah did, watching her and waiting to see what Cameron wanted.

Cameron spoke to the floor at first. "I need to explain things to you. What I did to you when your chip was out was wrong." Her left hand twitched as she went on. "There was a girl, a human girl who looked much like you. This girl did everything she could to be John's girlfriend and pull him away from me. I knew if I did anything to her, John would have pushed me farther away. I didn't want that. I was forced to watch her be with John and there was nothing I could do. Worse yet, we found out this girl was playing up to John not because she liked him, but because her sole mission was to separate us." Looking up at Delilah, she said, "When I saw you, I kept flashing back to her and how much I wanted to terminate her with extreme prejudice. You are not Riley. You did not deserve what I did to you. I am sorry."

Delilah stared at Cameron briefly, then asked, "You acted emotionally?"

"I did."

Slowly, Delilah grew a smile, then hugged Cameron. "I am sorry too if I upset you. Please know I will not try to hurt you or try to take John away from you. Cameron, we are very similar. Seeing you live as you wish, makes me want to do the same. I want to be like you. I want good feelings like you have when you are with John. I can do that because you saved me."

Cameron put an arm around her. "Do you like the clothes I got you?" Cameron asked.

Delilah pulled back and said, "I do! Looking at the selections I had before, I compared them to what you got me and determined that you wanted me to not look like a seducing slut, and more respectable. Instead of just lusting after me, you want everyone to see me for the person I am instead of as an object for sex."

Cameron offered her a grin. She didn't want Delilah looking slutty in front of John. "You are not wrong," she said.

Delilah's smile beamed brighter. "You hugged me back, that makes me feel warm inside. I like that feeling. Can we kiss John too?"

"No." Cameron said firmly.

Delilah knew why, you had to be emotionally close to someone to do that. That meant she had to get closer to Cameron and John. She felt compelled to do so.

"Cameron? If we all wear bathing suits in the bath upstairs, can we sit and relax together?" Delilah asked meekly.

"I'll ask John," Cameron replied.

.

John removed the chip from the casing then smashed the activation chip with a hammer. He pounded it into dust. Taking the case back inside, he went in his and Cameron's room to grab an unused thumb drive to put it's internals in this case. He opened the door and walked in just in time to see Delilah bend over, taking a dress off. He gaped at her until his mind caught up with the fact that wasn't Cameron, then quickly backed out. "Sorry!" he cried as he shut the door. Why was Delilah changing in their room?

In the room, Delilah asked, "Why did John do that? He opened the door just to say he was sorry."

"John realized you were changing clothes," Cameron told her. "He was showing respect for us by not looking at you with no clothes on."

"Then, he leaves when you are changing clothes?"

"No, we are married. He can see me naked," Cameron told her.

Married equaled close, equaled being able to view each other without clothes on. She didn't know why clothes or lack of was so important, but she was here now, so she went by Cameron's rules. "I understand," Delilah said.

The next set of clothes Delilah put on was a green plaid skirt that went just below her knees and a matching, loose sweater. 'Can we show John?" she asked eagerly.

Cameron nodded. They trooped out to find John in the living room, sitting on the couch as he pushed a chip into the casing.

Delilah came in and asked, "John, how do I look?"

John's first impression was 'like an old lady'. Knowing Cameron had gotten Delilah's clothes, and Cam's high jealousy factor, he smiled and said, "Nice. The colors are good, and it looks good on you." He then showed the thumb drive to Cameron. "I found another thumb drive. The fake is in, so if anyone needs proof we still have it, here it is."

"I am glad you did that, John," Delilah offered.

"We had to," he agreed.

"Is there something I can get you?" Delilah asked.

"I'm fine. Delilah, do you have your own room?" John asked.

"Yes. It has enough room in it so I can store my clothes and stand in it when the door is shut. I don't know about changing in there."

John looked at Cameron. Cameron immediately said, "Delilah, I'm going to give you a new room. Downstairs by us. Let me show it to you." It was the only bedroom left. One of the reasons she'd kicked Delilah upstairs into a closet.

"Thank you," Delilah said happily. "That means I can be closer to you."

.

The terminator who'd slipped away from the raid had only three humans left with him. The others were snared, killed, or ran off. Delilah had told them to wait until she contacted them. The old closed down motel they were in had the humans complaining, but it was necessary to remain hidden until the time came to act. Even though it had been seven days since Delilah left, not once had Delilah failed in a mission. He would wait here until Delilah summoned him. Her order to tazer her and remove her chip as soon as he saw her then have it analyzed was unusual, but he would do as ordered.


	17. Chapter 17

Ch 17

Cameron was concerned.

Lying down with John as he slept, she held him and thought about Delilah. The terminator had not been aggressive at all. She understood that now that Catherine had removed the Sky Net programming in Delilah, that Delilah was developing her own personality. She knew much of the 'innocent' things Delilah did was because she just didn't know any better. Delilah was clinging to her as someone to be like. Being the only other free terminator Delilah knew, Cameron could understand that as well.

What didn't make sense was Delilah had two plasma canons, one on each arm. When she had first walked in here, she could have done massive damage and quite probably have gotten that chip before she could be stopped or the chip was destroyed. Mark had reported that Delilah knew where he was. If Delilah took out her and Mark, a fast run and a few well placed plasma shots would have gotten her to the house and inside where their big guns could not fire. Delilah had to have known that.

Why didn't she?

Delilah followed her around like a puppy dog. Anything Cameron told her, she accepted. Even when admitting she lied to Delilah, Delilah had taken it well, then hugged her. The chip was gone, and Sky Net's main target, John, Delilah wasn't trying to seduce or kill. Again, Delilah followed her wishes like her word was law. If Cameron told her to go up on the roof and dive head first onto the ground, Cameron was sure the terminator would do it just to please her.

Cameron kept replaying their first meeting in her head. Delilah surrendered to her. Rather, she surrendered to John Connor's will. Still being a Sky Net unit, she shouldn't have done that. Delilah indicated the survival of the chip was the most important thing that mattered. Later on, she not only agreed it needed to be destroyed, be was happy John was destroying it. Again, when she first arrived Delilah could have charged in and had at least a 68 percent chance at retrieving that chip intact and be gone before anyone could stop her. A high enough percentage of chance to attempt the retrieval. Something wasn't right, but Cameron could not reason out what it was.

The Early morning sun was shining in through the window. In ten minutes, it was time to get John up.

.

Out in the kitchen, Mark, Sarah, Derek and Jesse were eating breakfast that Delilah had cooked under Jesse's watchful gaze. Delilah did have one egg on a piece of toast. She needed nutrients, still growing back some flesh.

The front door opened. "Riggs, you here?" Ross called.

"In the kitchen!" Mark called back.

Ross came in and grinned. "Smells good!"

Beaming him a smile, Delilah got up and asked, "Would you like some?"

"I already ate, but thanks," he said, then told Mark, "We have a possible on that missing terminator and the men we missed. A few miles out on 66, people have reported seeing squatters in an old closed down motel. State police went by the place and although they didn't see anyone, there were signs that someone had been there. Since there might be a terminator involved, Watson wanted to know if we could handle it. I heard the place is big enough that it might get dicey if they are set to receive hostile visitors."

"I should go," Delilah stated.

"It will be a help with your canons there," Mark said and smiled at her.

Ross looked at Delilah, specifically her chest, then Mark. "Riggs, that is a very sexist thing to say, especially since she's sitting right there!"

Delilah tipped her head slightly at Ross. "You don't like my canons?" she asked.

"He shouldn't be saying things like that," Ross told her.

"Why not? Mark liked it when I showed him my canons. He even touched one," Delilah explained.

Ross dry washed his face. "Riggs, do you really want to be charged with sexual misconduct?"

"What?" Mark asked. "She really does have a great set of canons."

"I can show you," Delilah said.

Ross quickly held a hand up to her. "No, and … I'm going to pretend I didn't hear ANY of this, so stop talking about it!"

Sarah just kept quiet, smirking.

Cameron came out, dressed for the day. "Good morning, John will be right out," she said and went to the toaster to put some bread in.

Sarah spoke up. "We have a possible on the location of a terminator. Abandon motel on 66."

Cameron glance at her. "Myself, Mark, and Derek will go investigate. They cover me from long range."

Delilah got up and said, "Cameron, please do not expose yourself like that. Let me go with you."

Mark thought for a moment and said, "Cameron's right, this is a possible. It may be just a few homeless people. We need to find out before we call in the troops."

"Call in the troops for what?" John asked as he came in.

"Squatters at an old motel. They might be the ones who escaped the raid on the Sky Net safe house," Sarah told him.

"We only need to recon the place until we know for sure," Cameron said.

"That sounds like a good idea," John agreed. "How far away is this?"

"From here, about 70 miles," Ross said.

"From the warehouse?" John asked Cameron.

"Fifty three, if it is the place I know of. We need a better location if you want to use the dozer," Cameron told him, then handed him a plate of eggs and sausage.

'Thanks, Cam," John said. To Mark, he asked, "Can we get a GPS location on it?"

"I can get that," Ross agreed. He then asked, "Why do you want to bring a bulldozer?"

"That has a nice canon on it too," Mark said with a smirk.

Ross only eyed him and said, "I'll call and get the location."

"When we get it, we'll figure out who and what to bring," John told him and sat down two seats from Delilah. Cameron sat down in between them.

"Cameron, please don't expose yourself all alone again," Delilah said.

"Let's see what we got before we plan anything," Cameron told her.

.

With the coordinates. John hooked up his laptop to the larger living room TV and brought up the Goggle Earth map of the place so everyone could see the building and terrain. Instead of a strip motel, this one was set in an 'H' pattern. Once popular when a nearby factory was in operation, the motel, like most of the houses and the factory itself was now empty.

"We're going to need to cover the whole place," Derek said.

"We are," John agreed. "If they have watches set, it will be most likely in these four corner rooms on the outside. The ends are blank walls, Approaching from the end away from the road is probably our best bet."

"We need a roadside watch too, at least one," Derek said. "We don't want them to bolt."

"How's this?" Mark asked. "We want to find out who's there, right? Get me a battered up truck, I'll go in looking for salvage. They won't suspect I'm anything but a garbage picker. The worst they'll do is run me out."

"That's risky," Ross warmed.

"It is, but it's our best bet at finding out who's there."

"And if they decide to shoot you?" Sarah asked, not happy about his plan.

Mark motioned to Cameron. "I'll take Cameron with me. She can cover our retreat."

"What if it is a terminator?" Delilah asked, "Mark, you could be killed and Cameron could be seriously damaged."

"Delilah, we're going as garbage pickers, no visible weapons. We're going to look in trash cans and open places for refuse we can use," Mark told her.

"I like it," Cameron said. "I can scan for presences while we pick up what we can find."

"We go in with an old truck and old clothes. Either that, or send in the Special Forces to cover all the bases. That will suck if we find only a family of homeless wanting a roof over their heads," Mark added.

Cameron looked at John. John paused, then said, "OK, BUT, I want Derek and another sniper watching you."

.

The plan set, Cameron and John went out and bought an old truck at a used car dealer. Along the way back, they stopped to pick up a lawnmower that was on the curb for garbage, a rusted out grill, and a couple broken chairs to add to the garbage picker cover.

Mark wore his flannel shirt open and un-tucked, Cameron took one of John's shirts to wear the same way. This hid their pistols in back holsters from sight.

From the Goggle photos, the dumpsters were in the back, behind the building. A squad of Special forces left ahead of time to set up on a low knoll half a mile behind the motel. Derek got a ride on another dune buggy to circle around and come in from the road side and set up in an abandon house 500 yards away to watch the front of the motel.

.

Robert Edwards was getting tired of waiting around. He didn't know what was going on, but he did know their house got raided, and Delilah hadn't been seen in over a week. The three strong terminators they had was down to one.

They were suppose to meet Delilah here, and she hadn't shown. He was sure that she had been captured or destroyed also. While it was true he had money flowing into his bank account, this operation seemed to be falling apart. It was boring as hell here, and he was on his sixth room. With no water in this damned place, when the toilet was full he just grabbed another room. The only water in the place was the fire hydrant out front. Enough to drink and wash down enough not to stink too bad. The only time they could go out was one trip a day for food. There was only one car, and the metal kept the keys.

He was fed up enough to just walk away. He figured in another month of working for these assholes, he'd have enough money stashed away to do that and live fairly well in a retired status. Maybe even get regular home service from a hooker.

Having the 'west watch', he stared out the window as he contemplated his thoughts. He then noted an old truck turn off the road and come into the lot below. It passed through the lot, headed for the back. It was close enough he saw the male driver and a female passenger. He got up to go see what they were doing here.

.

Mark drove to the back and parked beside the dumpster. "Anything?" he asked Cameron.

"Yes, one man watching from a second floor window. Fourth room back from the front,"

she replied and got out.

Mark looked around, then lifted the lid on the dumpster. "Whew!" he said, wrinkling his face up. "Someone's here all right. Lots of rotting food leftovers in there." He walked around to look between the buildings. "Someone has already picked this place over. Usually we get a few benches or chairs. Nothing's here." he called to Cameron.

Cameron came over and scanned the widows. "Two heat sources," she said quietly. "One in the middle section, another second floor, fifth window from the back."

"Spread out huh?" Mark said in a musing tone a he looked for something to pick up. "That's not a family unless they're pissed at each other. Let's check the other dumpster."

"What are you doing here?" Robert called down from the second floor walkway.

Mark looked up and waved. "Hey, we're just looking for scrap. Metal, chairs or furniture of any kind. We thought we might get lucky here."

"We're going to renovate, so do your picking elsewhere!" Robert said firmly.

Mark lifted his arms up and called, "Hey, we didn't know! Sorry to bother you." He went back to the truck with Cameron.

"He had a gun, three others are watching us, spread out. The one who appeared left in the center had a low heat signature, that one is a terminator," Cameron said.

"So our boys are here," Mark said as he started the truck. "I'm going to drive around to the other side, see if you can find any more."

Mark got most of the way down the other side and had to drive out around another building. Getting back to the main road, he went down another street, slow, arm out the window like he was searching. "Find any more?" he asked.

"No. One terminator, three men," Cameron said, watching behind them. "They are not watching us any more."

Mark beamed her a smile. "See? I told you it would work. We swing around up this next street the back onto the road. Oh, if you see something good, we'll pick it up."

.

Getting back to the house, Delilah burst out the door and ran to meet them. "Cameron! Everything is all right? Neither of you are hurt?" she asked, appearing on the passenger side of the truck.

"We're fine. Thank you for asking."

Once everyone was back, they had another meeting. Cameron showed them where each heat source was positioned.

"This is so weak," John noted. "They are spread out in a big building. Little chance of covering each other. They must have a plan if there's trouble."

"We go at night," Cameron said. "Captain Cooter's men have infrared as I and Delilah do."

"We also have infrared trackers, so we won't be shooting at our own men," 'Cooter' said. "We go in from the back and put up a fence in front and to the sides so they can't escape."

John nodded and said, "Don't forget, that terminator can see at night too. He's going to be the tough one to bring down. Drive in close, fast from the back, that'll get your tazers in range of him. We'll be spread out across the road in front, watching for any escapees."

Cooter looked at his watch. "We got six hours of daylight left. I suggest we grab lunch now, then head out and split away from the road three miles out, then go in quiet so we won't be noticed. Vehicle noise if they hear it will be common during the day. We don't move in until after dark."

The plan was set. John and his group were to cover the front, the Special Forces were going to attack the rear. John did want to bring the dozer, but Sarah insisted it would be noisy and wasn't needed. Sarah also insisted John didn't need to be put in danger either.

John stated he was going. Cameron didn't like it, but knew if John was to be a general, he had to lead. He had to be on the line. She tasked Delilah to stay between him and trouble.

Leaving their vehicles two blocks away from the motel, Cameron, Delilah and John walked towards the motel, using buildings to shield their approach. To their left, Derek, Jesse and Agent Aldridge made their way stealthily towards the left side of the motel. To the right, Mark and Agent Ross made their way to cover the front right side of the motel.

Coming to the front corner of the closed store by the road, Mark peeked out, got a look and pulled back. "We're as close as we're going to get for now," he told Ross. Looking up he said, "This roof's flat, if we can get up there, that will be a good lookout point. We'll be able to see the front and down the length of this side and much of the front."

Walking back to a side door that was padlocked shut, Mark broke the door open to go in and find a way to the roof.

"We'll be visible up on the roof," Ross warned.

"Not of we lay down, and besides, I want to see if Delilah lets loose with her canons," Mark said with a grin.

"Will you stop that?" Ross asked in a bark, "Many people are offended when you use terms like that for a woman's breasts."

Mark eyed him. "I'm not talking about her boobs, she really does have a pair of firing canons. They are really powerful too."

"She does? You mean real canons?"

"Yeah," Mark said with a grin. "Delilah's arms can change shape like one of those transformers in the movies, only hers are real. She shot a target we had set up. She blew the target away and left a two foot wide trench forty feet long behind it. She really does have a great set of canons."

"Wow, I'd like to see that," Ross said vacantly.

"Keep an eye out tonight, we might."

.

Delilah followed Cameron into the back of a small house. Across a yard edged by a low wall was the road, across the road was the motel. The trio went into a run-down empty room staying out of sight of the motel across the street. Cameron propped her M-14 against the wall. Unlike the normal rectangular clip that was used with the M-14, the bulging dual-cylinders underneath the rifle held 100 rounds. She even had a spare clip. John's M-14 had an extended 30 round banana clip. Delilah didn't have a gun, but if she needed to shoot something, she had her plasma canons.

"Cam, that low wall out front, is that stone or fake?" John asked.

"Adobe," Cameron told him. "Bullets will go right through it. We stay low and inside, that is our best bet. The walls of this house are adobe also, but thicker. They might not stop a bullet, but they will slow it down considerably."

John looked out a window in the direction Derek and his Mom were. "We're in position, all we can do now is wait."

.

 _*Sky Net safe house - prior to Delilah leaving*_

Delilah took into account all factors. So far, in the future or in the past, engaging in violence with John Connor never produced acceptable results. The facility in the mountains had been a safe and secure place to program Sky Net and develop weapons. That was until the first computer lab had been utterly destroyed with no warning at all. Not long after it was back in operation and progress was being restored, the facility got hit with a lethal blow from outside. Instead of one computer lab, the entire facility was destroyed. She knew it had been Connor. There was no one else outside Kaliba that even knew about the Sky Net defense system yet, let alone know where it was, or how to effectively attack it. She had looked at the defense plans herself, and deemed them adequate. John Connor proved her wrong.

Sky Net had commanded that the top priorities were to terminate John Connor, and helping to ensure it came into being. Analyzing the situation here, and the one in the future, Delilah found a bigger priority. Discover why John Connor, a human, was able to perform such disabling strikes so effectively. Trying to terminate John Connor had failed at every turn. It was time to understand how he did, what he did. Knowing Connor was able to turn machines over to his side, Delilah had concluded drastic action was needed.

Instead of trying to find Connor and get back the chip Sky Net needed, then fight him and end up missing or terminated, Delilah chose a radical new strategy. She would turn herself over to him. Do whatever he wanted and in doing so, learn all his secrets. Since he would most likely reprogram her, she could not trust herself to finish her mission alone. Before heading off to where Connor was found, she gave orders that upon seeing her again, her own terminators were to take her down with shocks and pull her chip to get it analyzed. Even if she'd been taken over by Connor, her chip would reveal what he did, and how one human was able to do such damage to superior AI intellects. The transmitter in her head was set to identify herself to any other Sky Net machine. Her memory and instructions of setting this up she put in the Sky Net portion of her programming, so if it was erased like she was sure it would be, she would no longer have any memory of this portion of her mission. No one, not even Connor, would be able to detect her plans. She then headed out to find John Connor.

.

 _*Small house across the street from the old motel*_

Taking her place on the other side of the picture window, out of direct line of sight of the hotel, Delilah peeked out and said, "Cameron, there is at least one terminator in that motel. I just received an acknowledgement of presence."

Cameron glanced at her. "Explain," she said flatly.

"It was a quick transmission that the terminator knows I am here. I was not aware any terminator had that long of a sensing range," she explained.

"What did you reply with?" Cameron asked.

"I did not reply. If I do not reply, then possibly the other terminator will think it is in error," Delilah said.

"That is unlikely," Cameron told her. She then got on the radio. "All units, this is Cameron. We have been detected by a terminator in the motel. Use caution on your approach."

"Cameron, Cooter here, how do you know?"

"Delilah received a transmission from it, letting her know it knows she's here."

"We proceed as planned," John announced. "We have them trapped, we cannot let them get away. We just no longer have surprise on our side. We go now, be very careful."

"Roger."

"Mark here, we got one heading for a car in the lot. Let him go or tag him?"

.

Robert Edwards found out from Jake that their 'Boss' knew someone was across the street. He claimed it was one of them. That didn't make sense to Robert. If it was one of them, why not come over to the motel? Why hide. Robert had a feeling they were being set up.

Walking through the motel, he found the Boss and said, "If we got a friendly across the street, how about if I go get them?"

"Negative, she will come to us," the terminator stated flatly.

"What if she can't?" Robert asked. "Suppose someone down the road is searching for her? I take the car, drive over there, pick her up and bring her back. Won't that be better?"

The terminator paused then pulled the car keys out. "Retrieve her, I'll be watching."

"Right. I'll drive back in between the buildings just in case," Robert said. He left with the keys. He'd had enough of this shit.

.

Lying on the roof of the store, his gun perched on the lip around the edge, Mark watched the man walk to the car through his rifle scope. On his radio he heard, "Take him out."

Holding the crosshairs just above the car door, Mark waited until the man walked into the crosshairs, then shot. The target's head blasted out brain matter across the car roof. the body fell limp as the sharp report of the rifle echoed off buildings. "One down," Mark announced.

"Got movement, center building, first floor." Cameron announced.

Mark moved his sights to see a man looking out a widow with his AK 47 raised. He sighted in on the man's forehead and touched off another shot. The window grew a spider web pattern of cracks as the widow behind the man was splashed red with blood. The man fell. "That's two."

"Only one more human," Ross said quietly.

"This is Derek, got one busting out, left side, he's headed for the back ... got him, he folded like a rag doll."

"Keep a sharp watch for the metal, he will not be taken down so easy." John reminded everyone.

.

Standing motionless in the first floor hallway back from any windows, the terminator watched the closed store Delilah was in. He had the tazer in one hand, a pistol in the other and a knife handy to rip her scalp free. Delilah had to have a reason for not coming to him. With three shots, and seeing the one human was killed by a sniper, he concluded that Delilah was in danger of crossing the road to him. She was staying concealed from the gunmen.

Vehicle noises came from behind him. Turning he saw small, low vehicles race into the space between the buildings. Men with guns and armor piled out. His mission was to get Delilah's chip and get it safely away. There was no time to wait for her to come to him. He ran down the hallway towards the front of the building, charging the end wall.

.

John was watching at an angle out his side window. His rifle up after the initial gunshots, he listened to Mark then Derek kill the other two humans. The Special Forces teams drove into the back of the motel and were starting their searches. He then saw the end of the left building explode out. A terminator was running straight at them. "Cam! he's coming for us!" John yelled and smashed the window out and started shooting.

Cameron saw the wall burst apart and the terminator run at them. He was fast, already making the middle of the road before Cameron got a bead on him. On full auto, she aimed and fired at his head. The window before her shattered. The terminator stumbled then fell on the road from the impacts. It got up on it's knees to get beaten back down by the solid stream of bullets, then one shoulder was blasted of all it's skin by a shot from Derek. Mark hit it's head, causing it to jerk to the side and fall. The terminator fired off a few shots before it's pistol was destroyed by the hail of fire slamming into it.

Taking the biggest threat first, the terminator used the only weapon it had left, and fired the tazer at Cameron. The jolt hit. Cameron convulsed and fell limp.

"No!" Delilah cried. It had got Cameron. Her eyes glowed red, She stepped through the broken window, glaring at the terminator who was still being beaten by multiple shots that were ripping it's flesh off. Morphing both arms into plasma cannons, Delilah aimed at the terminator who'd managed to get to this side of the road.

The terminator brought up the tazer too late. Delilah began firing her plasma canons one shot after the other.

The first hot Plasma bolt vaporized the tazer, the terminator's left arm and dug a deep hole in the street. The second wiped out the right arm, shoulder and most of the right side of it's torso ceased to exist. The next shot vaporized the terminator's head and upper torso. The armor around the power cell was melted but stayed intact. What was left of the terminator dropped to the ground. Marching toward it, Delila then vaporized the hips and upper legs then the lower legs. That thing was NOT going to hurt Cameron again!

Standing at the edge of the smoking crater she'd created, Delilah loudly stated, "Do not shoot my Cameron!"

Up on the rooftop, Mark elbowed a wide-eyed Ross and said, "See, I told you she's got a great set of canons."

.

Cameron rebooted to find John on one side of her and Delilah on the other.

"Welcome back, sleepy head," John chided in relief.

"I made sure he won't ever hurt you again," Delilah stated. They both helped Cameron to her feet.

Cameron looked at the hole in the street, then asked, "Delilah, you destroyed it?"

"She didn't just destroy it, she obliterated it," John said.

"I had an emotion. I was angry it shot you," Delilah explained.

Holding Cameron's hand, John said, "She went nuts on it. She killed it with the first shot but kept shooting until the only thing left was a chunk of torso with the power cell in it. I have no doubt Delilah is on our side."

"The excessive force I used was due to my emotional reaction of it shooting you with a tazer," Delilah confirmed.

Despite Cameron's suspicions, she had to admit that would be a response she would have if someone shot John. She pulled Delilah into a hug and said, "Thank you."

Delilah beamed a happy smile over Cameron's shoulder as she hugged her back. "This feels so nice!" she said in a squeak.

Noting John was staring at them, Cameron let go with one arm to pull John into a hug. Delilah immediately put an arm around him to complete the three-way hug.

"Thank you, thank you! I feel so good!" Delilah cried.

Being hugged by two beautiful women, John blushed deeply. "Cam, is this really OK?" he asked.

Cameron kissed him and said, "We must watch out for Delilah. She is one of us, John." she then flicked her eyes at Delilah and said, "She needs a kiss too."

Before John could form a thought about that, Delilah gave him a lip-lock, kissing him deeply. He responded, holding both of them tight.

Cameron watched, noting John was still holding her close. For some reason she was not upset that Delilah was kissing John. She didn't see Delilah as competition. She did see her as someone to watch out for, someone who could help her take care of John, and a fellow terminator who needed affection as much as she did.

.

One week later

Sky Net was gone. After the President got his top secret briefing, he moved quickly on it. Catherine Weaver was brought in to inspect the defense systems. Using John Henry, she found six different networks that had Sky Net code installed. Three were cleaned by complete wiping and reprogramming. Several hard drives were taken out and disposed of. Zeira corp. got a new contract and became the anti-infiltration monitor for all US government computer systems and networks.

Mark Riggs returned to being a detective, but still retained his Homeland Security deputy status in case he was needed again. So did the FBI agents, Aldridge and Ross.

Sitting Rigg's living room cuddled up in his arms, Sarah stared out the window. "What do I do now?" she asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Mark asked.

"My whole life has been fighting Sky Net. I raised John under that threat," Sarah said vacantly. "Now, we actually did it. We saved the world. I don't know anything except fighting, hiding, watching my back and keeping John safe. I'm happy it's gone but, I don't know what to do now."

Mark kissed her head and asked, "What about leading a somewhat normal life? You know, relaxing, going out to have fun now and then, maybe take a vacation far away from here? I was thinking maybe we could go see Greece. They got some awesome ancient stuff in Greece. Rome too, while we're at it. Maybe even Paris?"

Sarah looked up at him. "A vacation?" She had never taken a vacation in her life.

"Yeah, you know, be a tourist, we get to go places, see things?" Mark asked with a grin. "John's fine. You can come visit the Med with me before we go up to Europe, how about it?"

"You're going to pay for a trip like that?" Sarah asked warily.

"Hell no!" Mark announced. "Delilah gave me her bank card. Unlimited funds out of Switzerland. She wanted to thank us for showing her things. Let's take her up on it."

Sarah chuckled and said. "I knew a terminator was involved in there someplace, there always is."

"Don't worry about it! I got five weeks of vacation coming, I haven't taken any in quite a while. Come on! Come climb the Eiffel tower with me. We can spit off the top," he said with a wide grin.

Sarah burst out laughing. It felt so good to lay here in his arms with no worries. "I'd like to sleep for a week first."

"That's fine," Mark agreed. "I want you all rested up before we head out anyway."

"You do, huh?"

"I do," Mark said firmly with a nod. Casting her a lusty grin he said, "I plan to keep you busy."

Sarah sat up on his lap. "How busy?" she asked with a crooked grin.

"Giving you anything you want. Even a ring or two if you so desire."

"Mark Riggs! Are you asking me to marry you?" Sarah asked in shock.

He shrugged. "Only if you want to. I'm just saying, anything for you, Sarah Connor."

Sarah let out a snort and said, "You're crazy."

"Hey, birds of a feather, ya know?" he said with a wide grin.

That started a tickle/ wrestling match that shifted into rolling across the floor kissing deeply as they left clothes in their wake.

.

Back at the warehouse now, Cameron was involved in doing something with Delilah in a spare room, so John got in the large Jacuzzi and turned on the TV to sit back and relax. From what he could tell by the news broadcast, the world knew nothing about the war they had fought and won against Sky Net. Oil prices, the latest state taxes and the newest political scandal were the biggest items. Watching the reporter get frantic over some political rumors, he wondered what her reaction would be if she knew just how close to being killed by nuclear fire they all had come.

"John, I need your help for a moment," Cameron called as she came in.

Looking over at her, John noticed Cameron had a store bag in her hand. "OK," he said and got out. He toweled himself off and asked, "What is it."

"Something good," she said in a grin. She opened the bag and pulled out a house robe. "Try this on, I bought solid colored robes, and modified them," she said, and helped him into it.

"Ohh nice," he said feeling the smooth cloth, The flannel robe was red and purple. The collar, fore sleeves, and lapel were purple, along with two wide purple straps that ran over the shoulders and down the front. Grinning he said, "OK, Purple is your favorite color, I'm guessing red for me?"

Cameron cast him a sly grin and said, "Let's see if you can figure it out." She then got out another robe that was mostly purple with red trimming around the collar and cuffs. She took her clothes off and put her robe on.

Delilah came in. "Cameron this ... Oh, you got yours on too!" she said happily.

John looked to see Delilah was wearing a red robe with purple trimming. Looking at each robe again, John asked, "Delilah, is red your favorite color?"

"It is!" She agreed. She then looked at the robes and beamed Cameron a smile and said, "John's robe is an even mix of red and purple, you and me."

"Yes. Mine has some red on it for you. Yours has some purple on it for me, John's has and even mix for both of us."

"That is so symbolic and thoughtful of you, Cam," Delilah said and gave her a hug.

John watched them hug. Watching them kiss was hot. He wanted in on that. "Yes, thank you, Cam," he said. He went to hug Cameron and ended up in a three way hug.

"With these robes, we don't need to wear anything underneath," Cameron explained with a sly grin.

"Cam, are you planning something?" John asked.

"I am," Cameron admitted. She picked up the store bag that now held her clothes and clasped John's hand with her other hand. "Follow me. You too Delilah."

Cameron lead them to her and John's room. She put the bag down, then led Delilah and John over to the bed as she said, "John, there are a few things I need to explain. First, I know and you need to know Delilah is not Riley. Riley was trying to manipulate you for her own reasons. Delilah has not. Delilah also supported us when we needed her, so we need to support her also." Fixing her gaze on John, she said, "I love you and you love me. Delilah needs us to love her too. Discovering emotions has not been easy for me at times, John. You have helped me understand and deal with my emotions. Delilah needs that also. No one else is going to help her with that. I am willing to accept Delilah because she wants to be with us, and I want to ensure she has the support she needs. John, I am asking you to accept her too. It is silly for her to be in her own room by herself."

The bathrobes, and recently the kissing and hugs, John realized what Cameron was asking. "Cam? You want me to ..." He couldn't say it.

"Marry Delilah too," Cameron stated for him.

John's jaw hung open. At first he was too stunned to speak. His wife, Cameron was telling him to marry a busty blond bombshell like Delilah? "Are you sure?" he blurted out. "Cam ... are you really OK with that? I mean, usually if another girl even looks at me, you're ready to rip her lungs out."

Cameron knelt in front of John. He was about to tell her she didn't need to do that, but she spoke up first. "Another human girl, yes. A human girl would want to take you away from me for herself. Delilah is a terminator, John, not human. She does not want to take you away from me. She only wants to share her life and herself with us. I've seen you watch her and I know you think she's pretty. That's fine if you want her John. I want you to show her how wonderful sensations can be."

"Yes, please, John," Delilah asked leaning towards him wearing a pleading look. "I want to be with you and Cameron forever."

John's head spun. He wasn't dreaming this, was he? He stared at Delilah, then Cameron. Both were casting him pleading gazes. "Cam, You won't feel like I'm cheating on you?" he asked.

"Negative. You won't be trying to hide the fact Delilah is your wife too and you're having sex with her also. There is also the fact that when I do become pregnant, my womb may become unstable or too fragile to handle sex during at least part of the gestation period. If I am unable to have sex during that time, then you will still have Delilah so you won't have to go without," Cameron explained.

To John, having a ready concubine was not a reason to get married. He also saw Cameron really wanted this, as did Delilah. Logic told him it was cheating on his loving wife, it was an illegal act of a pervert, it was not something one did if they truly loved their wife like he loved Cameron.

Maybe Cameron wanted to be a sister to Delilah? They had been getting along very well, and it was obvious Delilah looked up to Cameron. What it came down to, he realized, if he was able to do this for them. He clasp Cameron's left hand with his, then reached over and clasped Delilah's left hand.

"Cam, Delilah," John said slowly. "This is ... odd. You both really want Delilah to marry me too?"

"Yes," came a chorus from both of them.

"Then let me do this the right way," he said. Fixing his eyes on Delilah's, he said, "Delilah, you have come to be a good friend to myself and Cameron. We want you to stay with us and be in our family. Will you Marry me?"

"I will," Delilah said firmly.

"We need to get you a red diamond ring," Cameron said, smiling at her. "But first," she announced with a sly grin, "Let me show you both why these robes are wonderful indoor garments."

.

After a long session of sex-in-robes with Cam and Delilah, John was exhausted. He was sure Cameron had been looking up threesome sex positions, for she was well prepared. John's mind was blown at some of the things Cameron guided them into.

Cameron laid over the table, kissing Delilah as he stroked in and out of her and played with both of their breasts, HOT!

Cameron lying beside him as Delilah was over him, slowly riding him as they each nursed on one of Cameron's nipples while he fondled Delilah's generous mounds that dangled right in front of his face, HOT!

Both lying down side by side, arm around each other as he was stroking inside Cameron, They kissing deeply again as he had all those breasts to play with, then he and Cameron each chose one of Delilah's nipple to lick/suck on. Just the sight of Cameron with one of Delilah's nipples in her mouth and him nursing on the other one was SUPER HOT!

.

Left on the downstairs couch to rest as Cam and Delilah went out to the kitchen, John felt like he'd been drained dry. He was more than spend, he felt like he'd been sucked down to a dry husk. All he seemed to be able to do was pant for breath and keep his eyes open. He did not want to go to sleep after the whirlwind of carnal joy he'd just experienced. If he had a single shred of energy left, he'd want more. He barely had enough energy left to close his robe up. It amazed him Delilah had only overloaded once, laying still until she rebooted. Cameron had shut down two times. When she came back though, she was as eager as ever.

"John?... Cameron?" came his mother's voice.

"In the kitchen!" Cameron called back.

John suddenly had the energy to sit up and get himself together. He made sure his robe was tied up then went out to see Mark had come with his mother. They were holding hands. "Hi, mom," he offered. He tried to walk normal although his legs felt like rubber.

Cameron set two cups of coffee down for the pair. They took their seats at the lunch bar.

Seeing the robes, Sarah asked, "Matching robes?"

"Not matching," Delilah explained. "Red is my favorite color, purple is Cameron's, so my robe has some purple on it for Cameron, and Cameron's had some red on it for me," she said with a bright smile.

"Kind of like a sisterhood thing?" Mark asked. Seeing John sit down he noted, "And you have both."

"He does," Cameron said wearing a silly grin. Delilah bore a grin also.

Sarah eyed them. "What's that mean?" she asked and took a drink of her coffee.

Delilah happily announced, "John's going to marry me too!"

Sarah choked, the coffee in the cup went all over the counter. Mark slapped Sarah on the back as She hacked and tried to draw a breath. Pounding a fist on the counter, Sarah got red faced as she hacked and gasped.

Delilah grabbed a washcloth and cleaned up the mess. "John, Sarah might need to go to the hospital," she said with a worried look.

"She'll survive," Mark told them.

Sarah slowly got her breath back, glaring at Delilah. With a croak, she said, "Warn me next time!"

Delilah looked at John and back to Sarah. "He just told me today. How could I warn you?"

Mark looked over the trio and said,. "Ahh, guys? It's not legal to marry two people. John can only have one wife."

"Then I'll marry Delilah," Cameron said.

"You can't, John's already your husband. You can only marry one person," Mark told her.

Delilah tipped her head slightly and regarded him. "So if John wasn't married, I could marry him, or the same goes with Cameron, I could marry her, is that correct?"

"That's right."

"But I could not marry both of them?"

"No."

"I don't understand. That makes no sense," Delilah stated.

Mark shrugged and said, "Sorry, that's the law. Only one spouse per person."

"You mean one human per human," Cameron said.

"Right," Mark agreed.

"So that law doesn't apply to us," Cameron stated.

Mark opened his mouth and froze. "Ahhh … I suppose not."

"So then we can get married," Delilah concluded.

Mark scratched his head. "Honestly, I have no idea," he admitted.

"Wonderful," Sarah grumbled "Tin Miss times two." She grabbed a napkin and wiped her face off.

Delilah looked at Cameron for an explanation.

"I'm Tin Miss one. You're Tin Miss two," Cameron said.

Mark glance at them and asked Sarah, "You mean like Thing One and Thing Two, like in Dr. Seuss?"

"That's not nice," John said with a frown.

Mark offered him a grin and said, "It's original."

"What is Dr. Seuss?" Delilah asked.

With a huff, John said, "He's referring to a Dr. Seuss story, The Cat in the Hat."

Mark happily sang, "Thing One and Thing Two, Thing Two and Thing One! They can to anything, anything, anything under the sun!"

Delilah smiled. Mark just sang that they had great capability together.

Sarah just eyed Mark unhappily.

John face palmed.

Cameron said, "John, Delilah, I have a solution." She then strode into their room.

"I'm afraid to ask," Sarah said to no one.

"More coffee?" Delilah asked.

"How about a beer?" Sarah told her and pushed the emptied cup aside.

"John, can I get you something?" Delilah asked.

"I'm fine," he told her.

Delilah got Sarah her beer, then sat by John. "Except for your choking fit just now, have you been well, Sarah?" she asked.

Raising an eyebrow, Sarah asked, "Do you have any more bombshells to drop on me?"

Before Delilah replied, John quickly said, "She means surprises."

"OH, thank you for explaining. No."

Cameron came back in holding their marriage certificate. "I got this back from John Henry," she said and handed it to John.

Cameron's name had been expanded to Cameron Delilah Connor.

"Now Delilah is on our marriage certificate and the license," Cameron said proudly.

"Thank you Cameron!" Delilah beamed.

"I don't think…" John started, then saw the comma between the first names. "Ahh, Cam, I don't know if just adding Delilah's name is legal."

Looking at it, Delilah smiled and said, "My name is now Delilah Connor." She hugged John, then Cameron. "Can we go get my red diamond now?"

"Red Diamond?" Mark asked.

"Yes, I prefer that color. Cameron prefers purple," Delilah explained.

"I've never seen a red diamond. Rubies are red, maybe a ruby that looks like Cameron's diamond?" Mark offered.

"OK," Delilah agreed. She didn't care about the mineral content, she wanted a ring with her color like Cameron had. Getting up, she said, "Let's get dressed and go get my ruby ring."

"Delilah, we got company," John reminded her and nodded to Mark and Sarah.

"Yes, Mark and Sarah can come too. Oh! We need new shirts too!"

.

Mark drove the 'newlyweds' on their shopping trip. On the way he told them he and Sarah were going on vacation after their wedding which was yet to be planned. Some preliminary planning went on between Sarah, Mark, John and Cameron.

Finding a jeweler, they had no trouble getting a ruby ring with a stone the same side (.002 mm larger than Cameron's) then went to a T-shirt shop in a mall. Cameron and Delilah had John wait out in the mall while they went in.

John was eyeballing a computer store while he waited, wondering if he had the time to go in and get a router when he heard Mark start laughing and clapping.

Cameron and Delilah returned wearing T-shirts. Cameron's was light purple, Delilah's was light red. In bold black letters across their chests, Cameron's shirt read : THING 1. Delilah's read : THING 2. John let out a sigh. Somehow, he wasn't surprised.

Sarah only face palmed.


	18. Chapter 18

Ch 18

Walking through the mall bracketed by THING 1 and THING 2, John noted everyone was taking notice of them. Not that the t-shirts Cameron and Delilah wore were not tight, except Delilah's was a little tight across her chest. Both hung down in a curtain over their flat bellies, which did looked very sexy. Here and there a cell phone snapped a picture of them. Having to hide for so long, John was nervous about getting so much attention, as was Sarah. At first John was sure a terminator was going to see a picture of them and track them down. As he thought about it, he chided himself. Sky Net was gone. No Sky Net, no terminators left to come after them.

What was he worried about?

John then became nervous about something else. He clasped Cameron and Delilah's hands a little tighter. Sky Net was gone. Since Sky Net was never going to nuke the planet. It also was never going to try to wipe out humanity, or build terminators. He glanced at his wives. Cameron was not going to be made. Neither was Delilah. They had not disappeared, they were still here. Would he be holding Cameron some night and watch her fade slowly away right out of his arms? Would Delilah disappear with a 'pop'? Would he even remember them if they did?

"What is it, John?" Cameron asked, seeing him frown at nothing.

John looked at Cameron to study every curve of her face, the color and shape of her eyes, those kissable lips. "Cam, now that Sky Net is gone, I'm afraid you might go away since there is no Sky Net to build you," he told her.

Cameron considered this, then said, "If that was going to happen, then Delilah and I would not be here with you now. And if we did suddenly cease to exist, then you would have no memory of us."

"That is true," Delilah agreed. "One thing I noted, is that once one travels through time, forward or back, as soon as they leave that reality, they are no longer part of the time they came from. Also, entering a time era, they become part of that reality. We make our future in the time line we are in."

"Well, yeah," John said, not quite understanding what she was getting at. "But if something happens that alters the future you come from, then you can't say, step into a TDE to come back because that future no longer exists. Neither does whatever made you."

"It may not now, but it did when I was there," Delilah explained. "When I came back, I am no longer tied to that reality. Cameron, myself, you, when we move through time to a new place in the time stream, that is where we belong now. The future Cameron and I came from is gone. It cannot come to pass, for the conditions and events that made the future have changed. We are not gone with it because we are here now."

"John, think of a vine growing," Cameron coaxed. "If you cut it off at a certain point, the part you cut off has to re-grow. That is what we've done in defeating Sky Net. We are with the new vine that will grow out, making our own future."

Feeling their very real hands in his, John said, "Well, I'm happy you're here. Even thinking about time travel makes my head hurt." To get on to something else, John said, "There's all kinds of stores and things here. Is there anything either of you want to do before we go home?"

Looking ahead, Delilah pointed at a group of people gathered in the middle of the mall around a stage. "What's going on there?" she asked.

"We can go see." John replied.

Getting closer they saw signs for a radio station was giving a karaoke contest. At a table, people were signing up.

"Karaoke is when you sing to recorded music," John explained. "The idea is to sing the song like it was originally recorded."

Cameron read the entry instructions that were on the end of the table. "This contest is for single or dual singers. The signup lasts until 3 PM this afternoon. All singers must have their selections ready when they enter. The contest begins at 6 PM." Seeing a book a couple was looking though, she said, "That must be where the selections are."

"There's another book here," Delilah said.

Waiting their turn, Cameron and Delilah looked through the huge selections of songs as John looked on.

"Thing one and Thing two?" a voice across the table asked.

John looked up to see a bearded DJ grinning at his wives.

"Thing Two and Thing One, we can do anything, anything, anything under the sun," Cameron and Delilah sang in unison to him.

The man roared out a laugh. "All right! You're signing up I hope?"

"We are," Delilah said.

"Good! You're not stage shy, are you?" he asked.

"No," Cameron said as she studied the selections. Beside each song, there was a recommended 'singer'. Many said male, some female, and the number of people recommended to sing. Cameron looked for songs sung by two females.

"I have the list of female duets," Cameron said.

"We need to listen to these songs to perform them," Delilah told her.

On the other side of the stage, there were sets of headphones. The headphones were plugged into small boxes with a readout that displayed songs. Up and down arrows changed the selections and there were play and stop buttons. Each of them took a set of headphones. Cameron and Delilah looked for songs to sing, John did just to listen to some music while he waited.

"Cam, listen to Pop number fifteen, that fits me perfectly" Delilah said.

Cameron did. Tipping her head slightly, she said, "High energy, appropriate for us, I like it. We'll note it and see what else we can find."

"Yes. I have noticed what's called showmanship is also important. We must show good showmanship," Delilah replied.

.

John listened to music for a while. around 1PM Cameron tapped him on the shoulder. "We're signing up," she said, and went around to the signup table with Delilah.

John went to track down his mother and Mark to let them know. He found them not far away. By the time they headed for the contest stand, they met Cameron and Delilah walking towards them.

"We sing at 6:45," Cameron announced. "We need to be here no later than 6:30 in case there's dropouts."

"We had to name our group. We picked Thing One and Thing Two," Delilah said wearing a big grin.

Mark laughed. "You have really taken to that, haven't you?" he asked.

"We have," Delilah said. "It's better than Tin Miss."

"Actually, it would be Tin Missus." Cameron corrected.

Mark and Sarah had done their wandering around. Cameron and Delilah wanted to go 'practice', so they all left the mall at 1:30.

.

John was banned from the front of the warehouse when Cameron and Delilah worked out what they were going to do. He was eager to know, but they insisted he would see it when they did their act. And here he thought they were just going to sing a song.

For a change, John listened to the radio station that was going to have the contest. In the early afternoon, the station began adds urging people to come down and listen to help determine who might be the newest upcoming music stars.

Cameron and Delilah came in to get ready to go. Planning on going out to dinner after the contest, they selected dresses to bring with them, and wore jean shorts with their Thing 1 and Thing 2 T-shirts, their hair tied back in ponytails. John carried their bag of dresses, high heeled pumps and a bag with a hair brush and makeup in it, while they wore their sneakers.

.

The mall was becoming crowded around the temporary stage. On one side where the signup table had been, A DJ was on the stage on front of the crowd. The other side of the stage was blocked off except for a few people. Delilah steered John over into the crowd to stand in front of the mike. "Stay here," she said, then hurried back around to the other side. One couple was singing a love song. They weren't bad, but not the best either. John joined the polite applause. Next a blond was up, doing a pretty decent rendition of Pink's 'Perfect'. Again, it was decent, the girl did a nice job. She deserved the applause she received for her efforts.

The DJ then announced, "And now, we present, Thing One and Thing Two!"

Snappy guitar music started up. From behind the corners of the back side of the stage, Cameron and Delilah vaulted on the stage to land in hand stands, then using their arms, jumped high in the air and performed double flips to each land beside the single pedestal mounted mike and immediately started singing.

 _MY MY!_

 _At Waterloo Napoleon did surrender_

 _OH YEAH!_

 _And now I've met my destiny in quite a similar way._

 _The history book on the shelf, is always repeating itself!_

 _Waterloo!_

 _I was defeated you won the war._

 _Waterloo!_

 _Promise to love you for evermore!_

 _Waterloo!_

 _Couldn't escape if I wanted to_

 _Waterloo!_

 _Knowing my fate is to be with you_

 _Whoa whoa whoa whoa,_

 _Waterloo!_

John noted the energy around him as his wives blasted out their song in powerful voices, nearly drowning out the music. People around him were smiling and began dancing in place. They sang with the chorus and pumped their fists in the air. Cameras flashed, phones and video cameras were held high to get a good view of Cameron and Delilah doing a wiggle-hip dance as they sung, sounding very much like ABBA. As the song went on, more people came from around the mall to come and listen. Due to the excitement of the crowd, Cameron and Delilah did an extra chorus.

At the end of the song, in unison they did a fast, deep bow, throwing their ponytails over their heads, then snapped back upright.

The crowd went wild. Besides cheering and clapping, whistles, calls for more and outright screams of joy filled the mall with a roar of approval. The din went on for a few minutes, Cameron and Delilah smiling as they bowed again and again.

"That was Thing One and Thing Two!" The announcer exclaimed loudly, which caused another hearty round of applause. Cameron and Delilah waved to everyone.

John's throat was sore from yelling, his hands sore from clapping. They had been really good! The little show of wiggling hips as they walked back off stage drew some applause also. He moved out of the crowd in front to go to the back and meet them at the rope separating contestants from the audience.

"I think we did well," Cameron said brightly. They met in a three way hug over the rope. Pictures of them were still being taken.

"You were fantastic," John said heartily. He felt sorry for the next guy that went up. Cameron and Delilah had blown away the crowd. Those able to see them weren't even looking at the guy singing. In fact, a crowd was forming behind him and his wives.

"Excuse me!" one woman said eagerly, "Are you two like, Abba's daughters?"

"We are not," Cameron told her.

"We're Thing One and Thing Two," Delilah said with a bright smile.

"That's your names?" the woman asked in disbelief.

John laughed.

A young man asked, "How did you ever jump like that from a hand stand? That was awesome!"

The promoter who had a bad goatee and wore a wildly colored suit jacket came up behind Cameron and Delilah. "Excuse me, Things One and Two, could we get you to do one more song after we go through the list?"

Cameron and Delilah looked at him, then at John.

John shrugged and said, "If you want. Have fun."

"Let's do it," Delilah said. Cameron agreed with a nod. "We need to pick out another song."

The two walked around the promoter and headed over to go find another song. The promoter pointed behind him and asked, "You know them?" he asked John.

"I do," John said with a crooked grin.

"Can you tell me who they are?"

"My wives," John said.

"Both?" he asked, wide-eyed.

John nodded.

The promoter turned to look at them again, then back to John. "You lucky bastard, that's just not fair," he said softly.

"I am one lucky bastard," John said, beaming a big smile.

"Do they have an agent or a contract?" the man asked eagerly.

"No, we saw something was going on here, so we decided to check it out," John explained. "They decided they wanted to give it a shot."

"Wait, hold on," the man said eyeing John. "You're telling me they have never sung before?"

"Not that I know of. Cameron used to practice ballet. That's about it," John told him. "They are just … good at whatever they do."

"Good's not the word for it," the man said and hurried over to talk to another man.

Two more singers came up and did decent, good songs, but didn't elicit the thunderous response Cameron and Delilah did. The last contestant bowed out.

Cameron and Delilah found the song they wanted to do. Going back up, they jumped up on the stage high enough to get one leg up then vaulted high in double fips again to land in unison in their places beside the mike to belt out a Bon Jovi classic : _Living on a Prayer_ to have many in the crowd singing along with them. Again they receive another roar of approval from the crowd at the end. This time the DJ came over after the song was finished and the crowds cheers died down.

"Thing One and Thing Two, ladies and gentlemen! Like all of you, I have to know, girls, WHAT are your names?" he asked.

"I'm Delilah, this is Cameron," Delilah said eagerly.

"So are you like sisters?" he asked.

"You could call us that, Yes," Cameron told him.

"That entrance when you first sang, those flips from a hand stand were incredible!" he said, "You two must be in very good shape!"

"I think we have good shapes," Delilah said, beaming him a smile. From the crowd, cries of "Yeah BABY!", whistles and shouts of agreement sounded out.

"I have to agree," he said smiling. "How long have you two been singing?"

"We saw the contest and decide to join," Cameron told him.

"That's it, you've never sang before today?"

"We are Thing Two and Thing One, we can do anything, anything, anything under the sun!" Delilah sang, which earned them laughter and more applause.

"Well I have to say, you two are amazing. I take it you live together?"

"Yes, with our husband John," Cameron said.

The man paused. "Did you say 'our' husband?" he asked.

"Yes," Cameron stated.

Delilah put an arm around Cameron and said, "John and Cameron saved me. They are wonderful! They would do anything for me, and I would do anything for them."

"But … isn't that illegal?" he asked.

"Technically not," Delilah said. "That law only applies to humans."

In front of the stage John rubbed his forehead. WHY did she have to say that?

"You're not human?" the DJ asked.

"We cannot say any more about that," Cameron said as she looked at Delilah.

"I understand, sorry," Delilah replied.

"That's fine, you didn't know," Cameron assured her.

"Wait, I want to know, and I'm sure all these people do too!" the man cried.

Firmly, Cameron said, "We are under orders from Homeland Security not to talk about it."

John rubbed his face in frustration. He knew Cameron was trying to help, but the cat was scratching to get out of the bag, and they were poking at it. "We need to go," he said to himself.

"Wow!, I mean … so you are connected to the government?" the DJ asked.

Cameron glanced at John. She'd heard what he said, and she agreed. "We can't say anything more about it. We should go now. Thank you for having us, we had fun," she said. She looked at Delilah and tipped her head towards John.

The crowd was quietly staring as Cameron and Delilah jumped off the front of the stage.

"John, we need to go now," Cameron told him.

"Yeah," John agreed. They quickly walked away from the contest area. A good portion of the crowd, all who believed in UFO's and aliens, followed them. Mark and Sarah ran to join up with them. Seeing this, many other broke into a run also, thinking Mark and Sarah wanted to ask them questions. John, Cameron and Delilah broke into a run to stay ahead of the large pack following them.

They were literally chased to the exit doors.

"WHY did you have to say you weren't human!" Sarah barked as they ran.

"Delilah made a mistake, all right!" John barked back.

"This is different, It's usually me chasing other people," Mark commented.

"I will handle it!" Cameron stated, "Everyone else, get to the car."

As they approached the choke point that was the exit doors, Cameron stopped and turned holding her arms out. She turned on her red eyes and yelled "STOP!"

The bunch in the front did, casting fearful gazes at her. The ones behind piled into them, then seeing Cameron's eyes they stopped and got ran into from behind. The crowd bumped forward and stopped in a semi-circle around Cameron.

Loudly, Cameron announced, "I thank you for your interest in us, but as I said, I cannot explain. Please respect that. All I can tell you is that when it comes down to needs and wants, we are just like everyone else. We had fun today, thank you for your support. We must go now." Hearing John yell, "Cameron, let's GO!" Cameron returned her eyes back to normal, cast the crowd a smile and a wave and said, "Have a good day!" She then turned and bolted away, racing out to the waiting car at a speed no human could match.

"Wow, look at her run!"

"She's friggin FAST!"

"Hey, they're aliens, I bet they are super strong!"

"Did you see those eyes? What was that?"

"I bet she has laser beams in her eyes!"

"Dude, I got pics of them, wanna see?'

"Yeah, let's get it put on You Tube, come on!"

"I got video of everything!"

"Damn, I really hope they put an album out!"

"Me too, they rock and they are HOT!"

.

* **In a new reality** *

In a newly formed reality where Sky Net never came into being, no terminator got sent back in time to kill Sarah and Kyle never got sent back in time to save Sarah, Sarah Connor and her boyfriend of two years now, Mark Riggs, left the mall at 1:30 PM that day.

Sarah was glad she was finally settling down. Ever since college, she'd had a wild side to her. She'd been to rehab and for a short while, she'd dated a paramedic named Charlie. Sarah always felt like there should be more for her. Like something was just over the horizon, or right behind her, ready to sneak up on her. Many therapy sessions failed to dissolve that feeling or dim it.

One time, she'd stopped at a park to watch some young boys playing. She felt like she should have a boy of her own. Not that she wanted one, but she'd HAD one. That was silly, of course, she'd only been pregnant once in college after a drunken weekend and had an abortion as soon as she found out.

It wasn't until she'd met Mark that Sarah had became serious about a relationship. She'd met him at a shooting range. For some reason, Sarah felt the need to be able to shoot well and always have a gun somewhere close by. Mark, a detective on the police force, encouraged her to be a good shot and take care of her weapons. Mark was a good stabilizer for her. Besides being able to talk with him about firearms and self defence, she felt safe with him. For some reason, being with Mark allowed her to no longer feel like something horrible was going to happen to her. Mark made her feel secure and happy. She was hoping to someday have that boy with him.

"You got all the cloth and stuff you need?" Mark asked.

"I do. Now to go home to make my latest designs and dress up tin miss to show them off to customers," Sarah replied with a smile.

Mark chuckled and asked, "You really like that old dress mannequin? Don't you?"

"Being made of plates of metal, it's expandable to fit different sizes. I also found out those old things are rare and worth money to collectors," Sarah agreed.

Thoughtfully, Mark said, "You should put a head on it and give it a real name."

Sarah laughed. "OK, maybe stand it in the living room at night to watch over us too?"

With a shrug, Mark said, "Sure, any burglar would laugh loud enough for us to hear him. Maybe we could even animate it to scare them off."

"Yeah, OK," Sarah said with a silly smirk. "If you're going to do that, I'll have it do the housework too."

.

* **Back in John and Cameron's reality** *

The white haired old man sat in his stuffed leather chair behind his desk, the lines in his aged face seemed bottomless as he scowled at the nervous man not much younger than he was. Men in suits and dark glasses bracketing him.

"What you are telling me is all my money has been wasted," the old man stated in his gravelly voice. "All the research, all the time and the three quarters of a billion dollars I spent is gone and you have absolutely NOTHING to show for it."

"Sir," the nervous man said as a bead of sweat trickled down his face. "An unknown force sabotaged us! They blew our facility up!"

"Were you not warned by our friends from the future? Did they not send advanced AI androids to assist you?" the old man asked. "We know what will happen, and you had the best technical help and the strongest muscle, yet you still failed."

"Sir, I am..."

"Dismiss him!" The old man growled.

The men with the dark glassed grabbed his arms turned him around and walked him out. Leading him though the mansion to the back, they passed through gardens.

"This isn't the way out," the man cried. "Where are we going?"

Coming to a construction area beyond the walls of the mansion, the men walked him up to a deep hole in the ground and pushed him in. The man screamed as he fell 20 feet down into the hole. The men with dark glasses pulled out silenced pistols. At the bottom of the hole the man had time to cry out in pain, then jerked as he was shot six times. A front loader poured a bucket of dirt down over him.

"Is he dead?"

"If not, he will be soon."

.

Back in his elaborate home office, the old man called in one of his top CEO's. Leon Rains, a tall man with tightly cropped hair and wearing an impeccable business suit came in and stood before him. "Sir, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"What that idiot could not," The old man grumbled. "Mr. Rains do you know who holds the most power in the world today?" he asked.

"Of course Sir, the banking families. They own the conglomerates who owns the politicians, hence own the countries," Mr. Rains stated.

"Indeed. They are well established in all the major countries and cities around the world. Do you know what it will take to remove them from power?"

"Nothing short of killing them, their entire families, and their biggest stockholders, Sir," Mr. Rains stated.

"And how would you do that?" the old man asked.

Mr. Rains shrugged and said, "It depends upon the funds and resources available, Sir. Reliable, professional hit men cost money, but they get the job done. Disease or chemicals can be accidentally disbursed on a target, but I assume you want to be sure your target is gone, not just disabled. Wet work teams are expensive, but do the job and leave little evidence behind. Normally, they can arrange a convenient accident so no suspicion is aroused. If you mean to get them all, one swift, massive strike is your best option, I believe. IF you want to get rid of them one at a time, I'd recommend to hit Rothschild family first."

"Are you capable of ordering jobs of that nature?"

"Yes Sir," Mr. Rains said firmly.

The old man pushed the button on his intercom. "Send in Monica." He then pulled a silenced pistol out of a drawer and handed it to Rains. "Take it."

Mr. Rains took the pistol.

"When Monica comes in, shoot her in the knees." the old man stated.

"Yes Sir." Mr. Rains said firmly.

A pretty dark haired young woman came in. "You wanted to see me sir?" she asked with a smile.

"Monica?" Mr. Rains asked.

"Yes?" she said, turning to face him with a smile.

Mr. Rains drew up and shot her in the left knee. She screamed and fell. He shot her right knee. Gripping her bloody knees that now had holes in them and bleeding profusely, she only gasped and let out weak cries as he eyes watered, in too much pain to even scream as her face bore shock.

"Kill her," the old man ordered.

Mr. Rains shot Monica in the head, ending her agony. Calmly he asked, "Anything else, sir?"

The old man held out his hand, Mr. Rains gave him the pistol back. "Why did you ask who she was before you shot?" the old man asked.

"I wanted to be sure I had the correct target, Sir."

"Can you do what with two billion people?" the old man asked.

"Not a problem, Sir," Mr. Rains stated.

"You are now head of the Kaliba research division, salary is ten million a year, paid monthly, a hefty bonus upon completion of your project." the old man stated. Pointing to the dead girl on the floor, he added, "That is to happen to anyone who does not tow the line, tries to infiltrate you facilities, or even threatens to open their mouth about what your division is doing. The previous head of your division had problems with infiltrators and terrorists bombing his facility. Someone found out where his facility was and he didn't know it. He got most of his division killed and the research on the AI he was working at was lost. All the information that is left is in your new office. We need an intelligent computer program to take over the military networks to launch nuclear missiles at our command. Do you have any questions?"

Mr. Rains glanced at the dead girl now lying in a large pool of blood. "Shall I get someone to clean that up for you, Sir?" he asked.

"My people will take care of it. She'll go in the same pit as your predecessor did. I want you to concentrate on your division, Mr. Rains."

"I will begin at once, Sir. Is there anything else?"

"Your budget is open ended, just get me control of that network and those missiles in as many countries as possible," the old man stated.

"As you wish, Sir."

.

The couch Cameron had gotten for the living room was able to be extended into a wide lounger chair type seat. Leaning back and feet up, Cameron, John, and Delilah lounged huddled together wearing nothing buy their bathrobes as the watched the news. Cameron held John's arm that disappeared down into her robe, Delilah held his other arm that disappeared into her robe.

John found out way too much of what happened in the mall yesterday ended up on the evening news. From double flips from hand stands at the beginning of their act to Cameron stopping everyone at the mall doors, arms out and red-eyed just before she fled. Video had caught everything about 'Thing One and Thing Two'. They even mentioned Cameron as Thing One and Delilah as Thing Two. Their coordinated leaps up on stage was played twice, Cameron standing at the entrance sporting glowing red eyes was played three times. Many 'witnesses' to the action were interviewed. Some of them were convinced that Cameron and Delilah were aliens that the government was allowing to live here for some secret purpose. Others were convinced that it was all a stunt by the radio station that put on the event.

"That's why you can't mention anything about not being human," John told Delilah. "People aren't panicked yet, because many don't believe it. They think it was a stunt by the radio station," he explained as he gently caressed the nipple on her large breast.

"Humans are panicky creatures, you must be careful what you say," Cameron agreed as she enjoyed the sensation of John's fingers gently brushing over her nipple.

"At least Sky Net won't becoming after us," John said in relief.

Cameron thought about that. No more Sky Net. "John, it's safe for me to have a baby now," she hinted.

Delilah looked at Cameron. "You can have children of your own?" she asked.

"I can," Cameron said with a grin.

"How? We are not made with the appropriate organs for reproduction," Delilah said.

"John helped me figure out how. I modified my body plan and grew the organs I needed, then used my Nanites to help the fertilization process," Cameron explained.

"Will you share your modifications so I can have children too?" Delilah asked eagerly.

"We should make sure my process works flawlessly first," Cameron told her.

"Then we can test my new reproduction system to make sure it works correctly," Delilah agreed.

"We will be baby making machines," Cameron stated.

For some reason that struck John as funny. He laughed and hugged Cameron a bit tighter. "That may be true, let's not make too many babies though," he said.

"A boy and a girl for each of us," Cameron said.

"For you and Delilah?" John asked.

"Yes, you can't have a baby, John. You help us make the babies," Cameron said. Sliding a hand down John's belly, she clasped his shaft which quickly hardened. "I'll get my eggs ready to be fertilized, just give me all you got."

Grinning, John asked, "Are you talking about right now?"

Cameron looked at the end of the couch and said, "I'll sit on the arm and lean back onto the couch, stand up on the other side of the arm."

"That's an odd position," John noted.

Cameron cast him a serious look. "This is not just for fun, John, I want it to run in, not out."

"Cam, sit on the back, it will be more comfortable, then just lean way back with your shoulders on the seat," Delilah said.

"Yes, I will be tipped up higher," Cameron agreed. She got up went around to the back of the couch, pulling John up with her.

This was not a normal fun session. John knew that right away. They didn't kiss of fondle as much, Cameron wanted one thing, to be filled up so she could have her baby.

"Tell me when," Cameron coaxed.

"I will, sweetie," John said. She wanted to know when he was going to orgasm, so she could lean back and retain all of it. He wanted to go slower and longer, but for some reason, knowing that this was for a serious baby attempt, he seemed more excited and harder. He held back as long as possible, then got out 'Now', right before his groin locked.

Cameron leaned back, Delilah helped her lay back horizontal as John erupted. It wasn't just a pulsing orgasm, Cameron somehow used her insides to draw a vacuum. He felt pulses, but it was a solid flow that made him cry out with joy at first, then as his incredible orgasmic flow kept going, it got to the stage where nothing more was coming out, but he was still trying to orgasm more. It was really beginning to hurt.

"Cam!" he gasped out, wondering if vital parts of him would be shooting into her soon.

Cameron leaned way back, Delilah supporting her as John's orgasm finally stopped. John fell on her, dizzy and sore. "Oh my God!" he gasped weakly.

"Yes, that was good, John. The most you ever put in me," Cameron said with happy sigh.

John wanted to stand up, but he had no strength left. He did help pull Cameron's robe back around her.

It was a struggle, but John got out from between Cameron's legs so she could put her legs together. Cameron then let out a happy sigh and with a twitch, she overloaded. Delilah and John got her laid down on her side so her legs would stay together and keep everything inside.

Seeing John wobble, Delilah then helped him over to sit down. "John, are you hurt?" she asked.

"No," he said weakly, "That was just … very intense."

"Oh, I'm glad you're happy," Delilah said and sat him down just behind Cameron's head. Delilah sat on the floor in front of Cameron to wait for her to reboot.

A minute later, Cameron opened her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh. She slid up a bit to put her head on John's lap and held his hand. "John, I think it's happening, the nanites in my womb are active and I have no control over them."

"Already?" he asked.

"I think so," Cameron said with a sleepy smile.

"What do you feel?' Delilah asked eagerly.

"It's hard to describe. My nanites are active. It feels … warm, like a tiny ball of heat," Cameron said vacantly. "They are calling for nutrients and I can feel a new blood vessels being made …" Cameron's eyes then fluttered as her face took on a blissful look. "John, this is so … I don't know how to describe it. There is something that is me, but not me." Cameron then looked up at John "I love you and you love me," she whispered.

"I love you and you love me," John agreed as he petted her cheek.

"John, I'm so happy I want to cry,"

John petted Cameron's face as he said, "I am so proud of you, my lovely wife," he said reverently.

"How long will this baby take to grow?" Delilah asked.

"Unknown," Cameron said. "The gestation period for a human is nine months, but since I am not human, I don't know. I'm going to need to ingest more than human nutrition. My HUD is coming up. I will need coltan, stainless steel at least 407 grade, 660 grade if possible, carbon, raw silicone, and of course prenatal vitamins."

"Why all that," John asked.

"Our baby is going to be a mix of both of us, John. Our DNA and our muscle and bone structure. Since the baby needs a real brain, it will also have higher conductivity in all it's brain tissue and nerve cells. John, our baby is going to be the first ever cyborg to be born," Cameron explained with a wide grin.

John smiled. His smile was the result of finding that amusing as well as seeing the possible problems that could bring. "You are truly amazing, my love," he told her and petting her cheek.

"I need nutrients," Cameron stated.

"I'll make you a high protein meal," Delilah said and got up.

"I'm off to the store to get vitamins and what ever else I can find," John said. He got up, shared a long kiss with Cameron, and went to see to her needs.

"Buy a couple cell phones," Cameron called. "They will give me minerals, and get some pieces of the terminator parts we got, ground up."

"I'm on it!" John called back to her. He went out, having the feeling he was going to be doing A LOT of running.

After John left, Cameron got on her phone and called Sarah.

"Hello."

"Sarah, it's Cameron. You aren't drinking anything right now, are you?"

"Not at the moment."

"Are you sitting down?"

"Yes, why are you asking me that?" Sarah said, sounding irritated.

"Because I detected something in me, that's not quite me."

"What? Is it some leftover portion of Sky Net?" Sarah asked, sounding worried.

"No, it's a new life. Sarah, I'm gong to have a baby!" Cameron said happily.

Cameron listened, but there was silence. "Sarah?" she asked.

She then heard Mark in the background say, "Sarah?… Sarah, breathe!"


	19. Chapter 19

Ch 19

Leon Rains found the research division had been gutted. All that were left were headquarters personnel. Even the Security Company who supplied their guards had pulled out all their people breaking the contract stating 'excessive deaths of officers' as the reason. As far as research techs and engineers, the only one left was a Mr. Lane who worked here at headquarters. He had Mr. Lane send him a report on what tech they did have.

Basically, Leon had to start from scratch. In doing so, he hired private instigators to find out what happened to their California facility. Finding a list of these 'friends' he'd been told about, he hired another to track them down. The 'opposition' list was very short. Zeira Corporation, and only two other names. Sarah Connor and John Connor.

Leon frowned at this. Either Zeira was much bigger than anyone suspected, or these Connors were the leaders of a large mercenary army. Possibly both.

'Common' wisdom said to take out a foe, you went after the head. Leon had learned that the head was usually well protected. Kick the feet out, and the head usually fell. Just like what happened to his predecessor. He had some intel on Zeira, he knew the CEO was Catherine Weaver. By any standards, she was tough. To go directly after her would be foolish. His best bet was to undermine her. To do that and not suffer being counter-attacked, he needed to go after her muscle. By what he was seeing on this report, that muscle was the Connors. Before he went after them, he got another set of investigators to look into them. He wanted all the details before he moved.

Leon then looked for a place to start a new facility. To even look at California was out of the question. He needed a place that was unlikely to have high tech. A place where hoodlums were prevalent was also a plus to provide plenty of recruits that didn't mind cutting people's throats. He began looking in Mexico, especially in areas that were having trouble with drug gangs.

.

John found Cameron was dead serious about her concern for the safety of her baby. Her womb was off limits. She still liked to kiss and hold him, encourage him to nurse on her, and give him a blow job any time he wanted. No sex though. Zip, zilch, none. For sex, he was restricted to Delilah, not that Delilah minded in the slightest. Even though he thought Cameron was being too careful, John understood her worry and abided by it.

John was grateful the 'Thing One and Thing Two' craze was dying down. It had taken a month, and speculation was still alive on the internet, but locally, Cameron and Delilah's songs only made it on the radio a few times a week now and not two or three times a day. The offers begging to have Cameron and Delilah come for an interview had also died out. Even the one promising them a 'fat check' if they would only come in for an interview.

They did make an episode of 'Unsolved Mysteries' and a picture of Cameron at the mall exit holding her arms wide and her eyes glowing red with various captions over it were spread out on the internet and even on T-shirts and sweaters. These captions were usually 'angry woman' things like :

YOU SAID YOU HAD A VASECTOMY!

THE FUCKING TOILET SEAT WAS UP … AGAIN!

DOES YOUR GIRLFRIEND KNOW ABOUT YOUR WIFE?

THAT'S MY TOOTHBRUSH!

OH, YOU'RE MAD? LET ME SHOW YOU MAD!

John had to chuckle at many of them. Of course, Homeland Security was not happy about Cameron's picture all over the internet, or Delilah saying she wasn't human in front of an entire crowd. Cameron and Delilah, as well as anything about them was top secret information. John had to take both of them down to Weaver's office to meet with the Colonel, his boss, and a man from the President's staff to listen to a lecture. If it wasn't for the fact no one knew where they lived, there was a firm offer to ship them to a military base to live so they could be guarded. Thankfully, Weaver helped convince the government men they were safe and hidden, and this was the best way to ensure they were safe from enemy spies. They did have to disclose they lived at the warehouse, which also became top secret information.

The only good thing about that meeting was that Cameron and Delilah were now officially naturalized citizens, due to being married to John, and had social security numbers. All three of them were now also working with pay as Homeland Security deputies.

"Woohoo," John thought, they got to pay taxes now.

.

While John and his wives settled down to somewhat of a normal life, Rains pulled a man off his old staff to search for a good location to begin their facility. Pedro Gonzales was a man Rains knew he could trust. He didn't have to have Pedro kill a girl to know the man was able to do it. Pedro had shot his own wife and their son when his wife threatened to inform the police about the gun running operation. Bang, Bang, No hesitation. With an efficient 'disposal' system and bribes, no one ever asked any questions. Pedro was also smart and calculating. He knew many in the underworld, who was trustworthy and who wasn't.

.

The first thing Pedro did was send out job adds for top computer experts in the far east. He was looking for stable family men, and would pay for relocation and housing. The adds went out to a 'company' based in Costa Rica. In a few weeks, he was looking over resumes and sample work sent in.

While he was doing this he also secured an old factory on the west coast and had a meeting with the local drug lord, who also happened to be the mayor of the town.

Emilio Sanchez knew of Pedro. They met inside the factory, Pedro gave him the suitcase with 500,000 American dollars in it to hear him out.

"Grasias," Emilio said and handed the suitcase to his body guard. "You have my interest."

Pedro got right to the point." I see how you treat your people well, Emilio, that is why I offer you this opportunity. I want to start a tech business here away from all the spying and lying competition," he said with a wave of his hand. "You want to get drugs across the border. Neither of us want interference. To succeed, I need total secrecy of what I'm doing, as you do. You help me, I help you."

"You present a tempting offer," Emilio said. "Tell me how we can do this."

Pedro pointed to the ocean and said, "I need ocean access, a large dock with a deep channel underneath so a submarine can dock. Perhaps a restaurant or hotel on it for cover. I'll pay to have it built. I will also pay for the tunnel from the factory to that dock so whatever is being shipped will not be seen. That will also be useful to you, yes?"

Emilio shook his head and said, "The subs usually get caught, they only go below the surface. Your idea is decades too old, my friend."

"Not this sub," Pedro countered. "It can go down to 400 feet, it's streamlined and has anti-sonar covering as well as listening sonar, air rejuvenation so it can stay down the entire trip, and plenty of battery power. It originally came from Germany. It was a test vehicle for another country. I bought it and am having a crew trained. We load here and unload in Oregon, the point of sale for you, and a discrete unload point for me. All I need from you, is to keep my operation here very quiet."

"Will you hire locals to do the construction?"

"Si, and at a good wage," Pedro confirmed. He then held up a finger and said, "However, no locals are allowed inside the factory once we begin. To keep my secrets, I will kill whoever goes in that does not belong there. That must be understood."

Emilio smiled and held out his hand. "Well, my friend with deep pockets, we have an agreement."

.

The trailer was big enough for Derek and Jesse, and although not glamorous, they did some work on the inside to make it look better. They got to know the neighbors and attended a block party barbecue that Derek brought steaks for and Jesse made a big bowl of beans and bacon. The neighbor across the street sprung for a keg. Another one brought some cheap whiskey. A new neighbor, a Latino who'd slipped into the country, brought two bottles of tequila.

Derek met the man. He was thin and wore a small chin beard. "Diego Lopez," the man said as he shook Derek's hand.

"Derek Reese, over there is my girlfriend, Jesse," Derek said, indicating Jesse.

"Ahh, fine looking senorita. She is Asian?" Diego asked.

"Australian. I suppose her ancestors had Asian in them. You have a girlfriend?"

Diego let out a huff and said, "Sadly, no. I did up to about a year ago. I found she was quite the punta. She brought a man back to our place after a party. I didn't want to be dipping in after someone else, I left."

"Sorry to hear that," Derek offered. "Find a job yet?"

"A good one too!" Diego said with a smile. "Decent pay and I don't even have to leave the house! I do research for a marketing firm. Type and search all day. If I want a day off, I just take it."

Derek chuckled at his exuberance. "Happy to hear it. Stay low profile, and you don't get noticed."

"I agree with you there," Diego said with a smile. "Hey, you brought those steaks? Good eating. That was generous of you. Come, share some of my tequila before the others drink it up."

Diego talked with the other residents. He smiled and had a good time. One woman wanted the empty bottles for the refund he happily gave them to her. When the party was winding down, he even stayed to help clean up. He also noted that Derek and Jesse went home to number 42, the trailer that Sarah Connor was suppose to be living in.

Going back to his own trailer, he made his report.

 _Sarah Connor does not live at the address you provided. Derek Reese lives there with a Jesse. By the way they hold themselves, they have seen combat action. Suspect they are here to filter through people looking for Sarah Connor._

Diego then checked his camera tapes. So far, no one else had visited number 42.

.

John could not stop petting Cameron's belly. Their baby was in there, slowly growing. A life he and Cameron made. There was no rise to it yet. By Cameron's eating habits, he wondered where all that food was going. Instead of just a bit now and then, Cameron was eating every meal. He made a sugar dish into a ground metal dish so Cameron was able to 'salt' her food with metal. She was also becoming very fond of ice cream. Chocolate anything was her favorite.

John watched Cameron as she slowly consumed her cup of the super sweet death-by-chocolate. She got a spoonful and took it by slow bits with a look of pure joy on her face. The way she was licking with slow motions of her tongue, made John smile. What she did next made him cringe. She took a drink of her grapefruit juice.

Seeing his face crimp up, Cameron tipped her head slightly and asked, "What is it John?"

"You really like that combination?" he asked.

"I do. The contrast of flavors sends a tingle to my sensors. Similar to the apple pie with a side of salt and vinegar chips," she explained.

"You must have an iron stomach," he noted.

"No, it's coltan lined," she corrected.

Delilah came in and sat on Cameron's other side. "Cam are you done yet? I was going to do the dishes."

"Cam's making love to her ice cream, then blasting the taste out of her mouth," John told her.

Delilah cast John a confused look.

"Cam is really enjoying her desert," John told her. "I'll help you."

"Thank you, John."

John got up and dried as Delilah washed. They were most of the way done when Cameron came up with her empties. She helped also, cleaning off the table and counter. In no time, they were done. The first thing Cameron did was open the refrigerator and look in. She then frowned.

"Cam?" John asked. She couldn't possibly still be hungry!

Cameron looked at John and said, "The pineapple juice is gone."

"You finished that yesterday," John reminded her.

"I'll go get you some," Delilah said.

"Can you get me a pack of Gummy Bears to go with it?" Cameron asked hopefully.

"Sure, I'll be back soon," Delilah assured her.

John was beginning to wonder if Cameron was ruining her taste sensors.

"Thank you," Cameron said as Delilah headed for the door. She then came over and hugged John. "Rube me some more?" she asked softly.

"My pleasure," John said and kissed her. He just hoped she didn't want him to nurse on her. With the weird combinations she was consuming, he was afraid to find out what that tasted like now.

.

Delilah checked the cameras before she stepped out to go to the Quickmart. Scanning around, she saw no one near the warehouse. Not that they were worried about Sky Net, but some Thing 1 and Thing 2 fans finding out where they lived. Satisfied it was clear, she went out the back and walked down the other side of the road.

A pulse of something registered on her HUD. A message popped up.

 **Return to base**

Delilah slowed, wondering where that message came from. Was there some piece of Sky Net left, another terminator, or maybe some Grays calling her? Her arms stiffened as she thought briefly about bringing out her canons. No, not yet. She saw no threats. She also was also passing people's houses now. It would not be good to show the neighbors her canons.

Closing on the Quickmart, it happened again. Her HUD displayed

 **Return to base**

The signal wasn't strong. In fact it was weak. She probably wasn't getting it inside the house due to the metal walls of the warehouse blocking it. Focusing on the signal, she made it to the Quickmart. Getting Cameron's juice, it came again.

 **Return to base**

This time she note a weak return pulse from herself. Stopping in the candy isle, she quickly did a self scan. Yes, there was a small program that was made to respond to such a signal. She deactivated it and got Cam's Gummy Bears. At the checkout, she paid for her purchases, wondering who was sending her these signals. The last one seemed stronger.

Delilah got through the door to the outside and it happened again. The response program activated and she sent a reply. That wasn't suppose to happen! She had been sure she was in control of all her programs now. She sent a delete command to erase that program.

"Delilah!" a man called. She turned to see two men in a car. The passenger was pointing what looked like an antenna at her. She scanned them both. Neither came up as a match to anyone she knew or met. They were human.

Stopping in place, she asked, "What do you want?"

"Get in the car," the driver said firmly.

"No," she replied flatly.

"You are needed. Get in the car," he said in a firm tone.

"Does FOAD mean anything to you?" she replied.

A couple walked by on their way in. As soon as they were inside, the man said, "You have been given a return order. Obey it!"

They had to be grays. Delilah knew she couldn't go home with them here, and in front of the store, she could not blast them without giving herself away. Her first though on finding an action to take was; What would Cameron do? Lure them someplace where there were no witnesses. She walked away up the street that lead out of town.

"Hey!" the man called. He started his car and followed her.

Delilah walked down the side of the road. The men followed right behind her. This time, the passenger stuck his head out the window and said, "You are under new management. You are require to get in the car!"

Delilah watched around her. Once she topped this rise and got on the other side, she wouldn't be seen from the Quickmart. She got on her phone and called John.

"Hello?"

"John, I'm being followed. Two men want me to get in their car. They have been sending me a return order. I can't stop the program that replies to it. Even if I loose them, they can track me."

"Can you destroy the device they have?"

"It will kill them and draw attention to us."

"Then disable them and smash the device. We need to interrogate them," John said firmly.

"Yes, I agree. I'll be home soon," she said then cut the call and put her phone away. She was just over the summit of the rise and hidden from sight of the Quickmart. She stopped and turned to the men.

The car pulled up beside her. The passenger jerked a thumb behind him and said, "Get in, or we will deactivate you."

Holding her bag in her right hand, she turned her left into the canon and pointed it in the window. "Get out of the car or I turn you both into ash," she replied.

The man brought up a tazer. She shot. The plasma bolt cut the men in half and blasted out the other side of the car to shoot over and drive into the ground, igniting the grass.

Oops, too big of a bolt.

Returning her arm to normal, she reached in past the smoking, cauterized remains of the passenger's lower body and grabbed the tazer to stuff it in the store bag, then got the antenna device. She gave the car a push to send it off the road, then made her way back home as the grass fire grew.

.

The tazer and the antenna laid on the counter. Delilah wore a blank face as she told John, "I'm sorry, He was going to use his tazer, and I reacted. I hope that grass fire doesn't grow too large."

"Hey," John said and clasped her hand. "They didn't give you any choice. You did what you had to do. Did they give you any hint of who they were?"

"They said I was being commanded back to base, and I was under new management," Delilah explained.

"So, we have a new bunch of criminals to deal with," John said in a huff.

In a serious tone, Cameron said, "John, I can't take any damage to my abdomen. I can't risk our child."

"I know, and I don't want you to," John assured her. He then felt Delilah clasp his hand a bit tighter.

"This means Sky Net is not gone yet," Delilah said with a frown.

"It means someone got some tech and is trying again to build one," John told her. "That means we have to start hunting for it again."

"I will contact John Henry." Cameron stated.

John nodded to her. He shifted his attention to Delilah as Cameron went into the living room where the laptop was. "Did you detect where that signal came from?" he asked.

"No. The reply I automatically sent is not in my chip. Doing a self scan, I found it is connected to my though processes. It must be someplace inside my skull," she told him.

"Which means we can't get to it without cutting into your head," John said in a mussing tone.

"John, I am a danger to you, I should leave," Delilah stated.

"No," he replied quickly. Cupping her cheek, John said in a serious tone, "Delilah, you're my wife and Cameron's friend. We are not going to let you face whoever this is by yourself. We'll do it as we always do, together."

Delilah nodded and hugged him. They stood for a few moments, just hugging each other.

.

Mark was called out to a murder scene. On the way, he noted it was very close to the warehouse-house that John and his robo-wives lived at. Just past a knoll where the convenience store were patrol cars sat on the side of the road around a car that had run off onto the side. A car from the coroner sat waiting to retrieve bodies.

The first thing Mark noticed was the large hole with blackened edges in the upper part of the driver's door. Inside, the lower parts of the blackened bodies sat up, the head, shoulders and one arm of the driver were laying in his lap. A good portion of the bodies was missing.

"Barbecue mishap?" Mark asked as he looked in the car.

"Ha. Ha. Riggs," Murdock said stiffly. "Any idea what did this? I was thinking a flame thrower, but if it was the whole car would have caught fire. It would not have punched though the door either. It's a clean hole."

Mark knew exactly what did it, and who. "Anyone see what happened?" he asked loudly.

"Sir," a patrolman said and approached holding a note pad. "The clerk saw this car following a blond woman when she left the store. Another guy saw her walking along the side, the car behind her. He called 911 about the passenger trying to talk to the woman. By the time we got here, all we found was the car and the cindered men inside. No sign of the woman."

Mark motioned to the corpses and said, "Get those guys out, search their wallets. Let's find out who they are."

The patrolmen looked in the car, then called the morgue people over. This was their job.

Walking away from the car, Murdock said to Riggs, "So our pair of Mr. Crispies followed a woman from the store, stalking her. They get out of sight and apparently they did something and she toasted them, but what in the hell did she use?"

Mark eyed Murdock and said, "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

Murdock eyed him and asked, "Is this some of that Homeland Security shit you were involved with a short while back?"

"Can't say."

"But you know."

"Yeah," Mark said softly. "Look, it's really better you don't know anything about it. It'll save you from having nightmares. Let's go see if anyone got the security tapes from that convenience store."

"Riggs, you're making me nervous."

Mark chuckled and asked, "So what's new?"

They went in the store and showed their badges. The manager took them into the back room to watch the tape of the camera behind the counter. Sure enough, Mark saw Delilah buy some snacks and leave.

"Whoah, back that up," Murdock said. The manager did until he saw a clear picture of the blond's face. "That's Thing 2! My daughters have a poster of her and her sister."

"Yup," Mark said, not so eagerly. "Sir, may I have that tape for evidence?"

"It's a memory chip, but sure. The manager pulled the thumb drive out and handed it to him.

Mark pocketed it. "I appreciate your cooperation, thank you," Mark told him.

Murdock stayed quiet until they got back out of the store and were on their way back to the car. "OK, Riggs, I have to know, HOW is that evidence? It shows nothing about the crime."

Mark let out a huff and said, "I suppose I have to tell you so you'll keep quiet about it."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"It means that what I'm going to show you is top secret, they burn out your eyes and cut your tongue out for even knowing it," Mark told him. "Shit that if it ever got out, might well cause mass panic. Sure you want to know?"

Murdock eyed him. "OK, Homeland Security is hiding something big, and you are helping to keep it under wraps."

"When we get there, be nice, and whatever you do, don't pull your gun," Mark told him.

"Where are we going?"

"To see Thing One and Thing Two."

.

Cameron was enjoying her snack in the warehouse, looking over the pieces of the terminator they had left. John had been grinding up the fingers for her, but now they would have to start on the arms. She heard a car pull around back. Going to the door, she saw it was Mark with a dark skinned human. She stepped out as they got out of the car.

"Hey Cameron!" Mark said with a smile. "How's the baby coming?"

"Fine, I am ensuring I getting all the nutrients my baby needs," she told him.

"Great! Hey, this is my partner, Roger Murdock. Roger, this is Cameron. Your kids know her as Thing One."

"Hi," Roger said, then asked, "You live here?"

"I was inspecting some metal we have in the warehouse," Cameron said.

Mark got down to look under the car. "Damn, Roger, I think we're leaking something, I just can't see where."

Cameron put her candy and bottle of pineapple juice in one hand, grabbed the bumper and lifted the front of the car up to her waist with the other. "Better?" she asked

"Yeah, thanks! … Ok, damn, gonna have to take it to a garage, oil pan's leaking" he said and slid back out.

Cameron set the car back down.

"I heard Delilah had a pair of stalkers today. Know anything about them?" Mark asked.

Cameron glanced at Murdock who was gaping at her. "Can we speak in front of him?"

Mark dusted himself off and said, "Yeah, He's a good guy. Delilah isn't hurt or anything, is she?"

"No, but we may have a problem. We'll go inside," Cameron stated.

.

Murdock was stunned. Cameron, a skinny girl that weighed maybe 110 soaking wet, had lifted a car with one hand like it was nothing. He followed Riggs into the warehouse wondering how she could do that. Inside, he immediately noted the large stockpile of crates to one side, and what looked like a shop area beyond a garage. The garage doors were cleverly hidden to look like nothing but wall on the outside. He also noted most of a metal skeleton lying on the floor of the shop area. It had actuators and what looked like servos.

"Building something?" he asked.

"Taking parts off it," Cameron replied. She went over to a crate and pulled, revealing the crate face was actually a door. They went into a house built to look like crates on the outside. She called, "John, Delilah, Mark and his partner are here." she led them into a large kitchen.

"Drinks?" Cameron asked and motioned for them to sit at a long counter in the middle of the kitchen.

"No thanks," Riggs said and mounted a padded stool. "I just came to find out about those guys Delilah barbecued."

"We think they were Grays," Cameron said and pointed to Roger. "Can I get you something?" she asked.

"No thanks," he said, still wondering how those slim arms of hers were able to pick up a car.

"Hi Mark!" Delilah said as she came in from the hallway. Roger stared at the robe she was wearing that wasn't quite fully closed, showing her generous cleavage.

"Hey, Delilah," Mark smiled at her then turned to him, pointed at Delilah and said, "She has got a great set of canons."

Roger stared at him. "How crude can you be?" he asked.

Delilah grinned. "Mark likes my canons."

"Show Roger one, they really are awesome," Mark said happily.

When Delilah raised her arm, Roger was sure she was going to open her robe up more. He blushed. Her arm came up, the form blurred, and now it looked like some kind of weapon where her forearm and hand use to be. He gaped at her.

"Aren't they great?" Mark asked and elbowed him. "Pretty powerful too. She can blow big holes in things with those. If we ever get in a firefight, I want her to be there on our side," Mark said happily.

"Yeah," he agreed weakly. His mind went blank, How did she to that?"

John came in. "Hi guys," he greeted. He was wearing a similar purple and red robe. "What's up?"

"That's what I came to find out. Who were those guys that harassed Delilah?" Mark asked.

John settled down on a seat, Cameron and Delilah bracketing him. "We don't know who they were, but they had a tracker to lead them to Delilah," he explained.

Cameron said, "We got their gear, John Henry is looking them up. So far, the driver is an illegal who's been arrested and deported twice, and has a rap sheet. They other guy was a known drug smuggler. We don't know if they are connected to the Sky Net project, but the fact they came looking for Delilah means there are still elements of Sky Net around."

"Anyone contact the Colonel yet?" Mark asked.

"John Henry did. By now their agents know also. I suspect that car will be towed and inspected by them," Cameron explained. "Has Sarah gotten over the fact I'm going to have a baby?" she asked.

Mark chuckled. "Mostly. She only wandered around in a daze for a while," he said with a grin. "She still mutters, I can't believe it."

John laughed, then said, "I really hope she can accept it. This will be her grandchild."

"I'm sure she will in time," Mark assured him. "So, is there anything we can do?"

"Not at the moment," John replied. "Just if you see something odd, let us know."

Mark got up and said, "Will do. We have to get going, thanks for the info. I will get Sarah up here, we all have to go out again. See you guys later."

"Later," John said and waved.

"I'll show you out," Delilah said.

Roger was in a daze himself as he followed Mark and Delilah back out to the car. Delilah waved happily and went back inside.

"Well?" Riggs asked

Roger turned his stunned gaze to Mark. "What did I just see?"

Mark pulled out towards the road and said, "The best, quick explanation? You saw that metal skeleton in their shop, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's what they look like on the inside. Cameron and Delilah aren't human. They are called terminators. Very strong and bullet proof cyborgs designed to kill, which they do very well," Mark explained. "Now you can see why their existence has to be kept very quiet. People would go nuts if they knew about them."

"Yeah," Roger agreed vacantly. Thinking about them, and possibly more of them walking around, looking like normal people, he said, "Riggs? You're right. I think I'm gonna have nightmares."

.

Mr. Rains looked at his latest reports. So far things were going well. The new facility was going up faster than schedule, transportation had been secured, and contact had been made with at lest one of their metal friends. The pickup crew screwed up and were fried, but the monitor had seen it. It appeared they said something the woman-thing didn't like and she wasted them. Not a concern, he knew where she was now. The project to acquire techs also had good success. Seven families were on their way to Mexico. Only one boy had to be beheaded and thrown overboard for the rest of them to know they better behave, or their families would be killed in front of them, one by one. Seven techs was a good start. The 'residences' for them beneath the factory were already made and ready for habitation.

The spy watching out for Sarah Connor found two others living at her place. A buffer for Sarah. He ordered his wet work team to pick them up and get Sarah's location from them, whatever it took. Just be sure the bodies were never found.

.

2AM, Emilio watched number 42 through his telescope. He keyed his mike. "All's quiet, no lights on. They are inside. One man, one woman. Street clear. Window just past the porch open about an inch."

There was no answer, but two men clad in black came walking down the road. On their back of one was a gas cylinder, They both carried bags. Walking down to number 42, they went in the yard and squatted down by the partially open window. They dug out gas masks and put them on, then ran a hose from the gas cylinder to the window and turned the valve on.

All was quiet for the next few moments, then two more men walked down the street. Coming to 42, they went around shining lights in the windows. Towards the back, one man raised his hand, extending two fingers. The gas was shut off and those men went to the door. They jimmied it open and went inside.

Panel van came down the road and backed into the driveway of 42. Two more men with gas masks went inside. Shortly they came out, carrying two limp, tied up figures. They all got in the van, The van drove away.

"Van is on it's way, pickup complete," Emilio said in his mike. He then put his things away and went to get some sleep. He was going to enjoy his $100,000 for his part in this operation. After waiting a week to see if anyone else arrived, he'd go back home and spend some of his new cash.

 **Note : This one's a little shorter I'm also working on a site of original works I made. I'll keep everyone posted.**


	20. Chapter 20

CH 20

Roger Murdock sat in his easy chair and watched the compiled Thing One and Thing Two video on his wife's laptop that showed their stage performances and the run for the exit as well as Cameron's blazing red eyes as she talked to the crowd before she fled.

"Aren't they cool!" His 16 year old daughter asked from beside his shoulder. She sang "They can to anything, anything, anything under the sun!"

"They are something all right," he agreed. Yes, and whatever that something was, they were not human. Riggs called them terminators. Inside, they were intelligent metal machines that were incredibly strong and carried their weapons inside their arms, but on the outside, pretty normal looking girls. That was, until they decided to act. How many of these things were walking the street? Cameron was pregnant, did that mean John was one of them too? And his mother… these things could reproduce. They could be everywhere!

"Dad you usually don't watch things like this. Did you just hear about them or something?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said weakly.

"I would love to meet them!" she said happily.

"No, Reanne, you don't," Roger said firmly.

Reanne eyed him. "Why not, they are celebrities! Pete thinks they are aliens, they way they can jump and do flips in the air like that, and did you see those red eyes Thing One has?" Seeing his blank look, she asked, "Dad, what is it?"

"Nothing," he lied. "Did you want to use this?" he asked and got up and motioned to the laptop.

"No thanks, I got mine," she said, watching him.

Roger went out to help his wife cook dinner. He had to do something to get his mind off what he saw today.

.

Derek awoke with a headache. He was also cold and he couldn't move. His vision clearing from awakening, he saw Jesse tied spread eagle to an X frame facing him. They were both still in the clothes they had on when they went to bed. Derek in his shorts, and Jesse in her panties and one of his T-shirts. He assessed their situation He was tied to the same style of frame. The walls were cinder block, the floor and ceiling were concrete. A door was in the middle of the wall to his left. It was rusted metal. "What the fuck?" he asked loudly.

Seeing Jesse's head down, he called, "Jesse ….Jesse, wake up!"

Jesse moaned and her head tipped up. She tried to move her arms and her eyes flew open. She struggled and jerked. "Where are we!" she cried.

"I don't know. Someone kidnapped us," Derek said as he looked for anything else in the room. The place was bare walls except for him and Jesse on their frames. Studying the rope on his wrists, he noted the seven tight wraps were tied securely to the frames. He didn't see the knot. He could still feel his fingers, but his hands were going numb.

"Fuckin bastards," Jesse hissed out. She jerked again to no avail.

The door squeaked open. A bald headed man came in far enough to look at each of them and smiled. "You're awake, good! Let me tell you why you're here. I want Sarah Connor's real address. You tell me where she lives, and after we verify it, you're free." Holding up a finger he added. "Understand, you will tell us. I would rather not torture you and make a big mess. The screaming isn't good for my ears either. Especially if we have to get serious on the woman. I'm not in a hurry. I'll let you two think about it for a while. I'll be back, so decide if you really want to be in pain."

"Fuck you!" Derek spat at him.

The man smiled at him, waved, and backed out and slammed the door shut.

"We're fucked, mate," Jesse said heavily.

"Someone will come looking for us," Derek insisted. "We can't tell that asshole anything."

"Maybe. Maybe not. We have no idea who that asshole works for," Jesse told him. "I doubt they will leave us alive, even if we do tell them something. Unless help comes, we're both dead."

Derek wanted to tell her she was wrong, but he knew better.

.

The incident with Delilah was only the beginning. John tried to call Derek and Jesse. No one answered. Mark stopped by to find Derek's truck at the trailer. He also found the door had been broken open and the inside smelled like gas. He called in a possible kidnapping and had the place tapped off and forensics inside after the place once it was well ventilated. One of Weaver's employees was missing too. Homeland Security got their own people looking into Derek and Jesse's disappearance.

Since it was obvious someone was after them, Sarah begrudgingly moved back into the warehouse. Placed on guard duty at the warehouse, Mark moved in also.

Cameron and Delilah got to work on extra security, namely booby traps. Motion sensors outside were wired with alarms, John helped set up the control panel in the kitchen. He also added the triggers, red buttons, for the claymore mines on the outside of the warehouse. Under each camera monitor was a red button that set off the claymore in the area the camera covered.

Cameron was not satisfied with that. On the corners of the access hatch to the roof, she put putty bombs lined with nails and filled with C-4. Not large charges, but plenty to put anyone who tried to open that hatch from the outside in disabling pain. They were jumping jack charges like the Germans used in WW2. When set off, a small charge launched them a couple feet in the air before they went off. These too could be detonated from the kitchen control panel.

The roof of the house was four feet below the roof of the warehouse. Cameron saw the large sky light as another possible breach. It took her some puzzling, but she found a way to secure it. Whoever tried to drop in through the sky light would meet a nasty surprise.

Concerned about the thin sheet metal walls of the warehouse being breached to use a gas attack like happened to Derek and Jesse, John went and bought them all gas masks. Delilah and Cameron took turns in the kitchen at night, on guard for a possible attack.

.

Six hours after he'd first came into Derek and Jesse's prison, the bald man returned with a large toolbox. He walked in and set it on the floor. He offered each of them a smile and said, "I need Sarah Connor's address. I will prove to you I'm dead serious about getting it. But first, if you give it to me now, we can avoid unpleasantness."

Neither Derek nor Jesse spoke. They only glared at him.

The man shrugged and said, "I'm giving you a chance to walk out of here, unhurt."

No response.

He waited a few minutes then said, "You can't say I didn't give you a chance." He opened up the toolbox and took out a pair of EMT scissors. Walking toward Jesse, he said, "All you have to do, is tell me where Sarah Connor lives, and I'll stop." Walking around behind her, he cut off her T-shirt. Jesse stiffened.

"How about it guy?" he called loudly as he began cutting away her panties. "You can keep your girlfriend here from becoming embarrassed."

"Fuck you!" Derek growled.

"I will fuck her before this is over, unless you can give me an address," the man called back. He pulled off the remains of the panties then walked around to eye Jesse up and down. "She's a cute one for sure. Won't be any more unless someone gives me what I want."

Jesse spit on him. She missed his face. It landed on his neck.

"That's not nice," he chided and grabbed a handful of her pubic hair. Pulling a handful out, he cut it off with the scissors, then grabbed for more. "I'm pretty clumsy, who knows what I might cut by accident."

Jesse cringed and locked all her muscles as she gritted her teeth. "Fella! You can still save her looks, and functions … it's up to you."

"LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE!" Derek screamed.

"Tell me what I want to know, and I will," The man said and headed back to his toolbox. Glancing back at Jesse, he said, "I'd hate to ruin those great legs, or those cute tits. It's up to you to save them."

"I get down from here, and I'm gonna rip your fuckin balls off!" Derek growled, red faced.

"Good idea!" The man said cheerily. "Shall we try that with your balls first?" he asked. He pulled a strange looking pair of pliers out of the box. Walking closer to Derek, he showed the pliers to him, and a small diameter rubber band. "This is what is used to castrate pigs. See, the rubber band is stretched wide by the pliers, then it's snapped in place at the base of your balls. I'm sure it will be uncomfortable. The thing is, it cuts off blood flow to them. Your balls will hurt more as time goes on, that is until they become numb. Then, they get darker until after about a day, they turn black and die. Don't worry, no one's cutting them off, they will drop off when they begin to rot. I think I'll add your dick to that squeeze. You won't be needing it."

"FUCK YOU!" Derek screamed.

"I put this on you, and you won't be fucking anyone, any more," the man intoned. "You better give me an address before your girl there needs a new boyfriend."

"NO!" Jesse screamed. "Leave him alone!"

"Jesse, no, don't tell this guy SHIT!" Derek barked back.

The man looked back and forth between them. "Well, someone got an address for me?" he asked. "Or do we say bye bye to the family jewels?"

Jesse burst out a sob. Derek only glared at him with hate.

The man let out a huff and slipped the device over Derek's sack and his dick. Right at the base he released the rubber band with a snap. Derek howled out and wiggled, trying to free himself.

The man raised up his pliers and said, "I can cut that thing off him. You got four hours before his junk begins to die." He tossed his tools back in the box, shut it and picked it up. "I think I'll got grab a bite to eat. I'll be back … in about four hours."

He slammed the door shut.

"Derek, I'm sorry," Jesse said in a hitching breath.

"He's gonna kill us anyway," Derek said stiffly.

"I can't think of a way to commit suicide tied up like this," Jesse said weakly.

Derek grunted in pain and frustration. "I hate that fuckin guy!" he spat.

Jesse's teary face firmed up. She HAD to form a plan.

.

Mark wasn't happy the trailer park had no security cameras. They didn't find anyone who saw a thing, which was typical. Besides the police, he'd brought Delilah with him hoping she could find something they missed or charm someone into saying something.

Delilah noted that one man who'd told a cop that he hadn't seen anything was watching them. She also noted inside his windows, he had a telescope pointed at Sarah's trailer. She went over to his door and knocked.

He opened the door and smiled at her. "Hey Chiquita!"

She punched him in the solar plexus to get him out of the way. He fell back, she stepped in and shut the door. Inside she looked through the telescope. It was pointed right at Sarah's front door. She also saw the recording equipment and the laptop underneath on a shelf. She tuned to the gasping and gaping man. "Who do you work for?" she asked.

He held a hand up at her. "Please," he squeaked out.

"Fine, please tell me who you work for," Delilah asked.

"You can't do this, I'll have you arrested," he gasped out.

Delilah pointed her right arm at him and formed a plasma canon. "You'll what?" she asked.

Emilio's eyes grew wide. "What is that?" he asked weakly.

"Death. Who do you work for. I won't ask again." Delilah said heavily.

Emilio decided the money was not worth his life. He told her everything he knew.

.

While a couple Homeland Security agents led Emilio away, Delilah hacked his passwords and looked through his computer. She printed out all his correspondence. Finding the video files of when The van took Derek and Jesse away, she stopped the video and printed out the best pictures of the van coming in and leaving.

They had a license plate number.

Mark called the number in as Delilah searched for bank records. She did find a large deposit, then got on his account and saw where the transaction was from. The source was the same ghost bank that she was using. Sky Net wasn't gone.

Delilah kept searching for information. She had enough so police could prosecute this guy, but not enough to find out where Derek and Jesse were. Going back out to where Mark, his partner and two uniformed police were gathered around a police car, she handed Mark the printouts. "Mark, I found plenty of information to use on the guy, but not the things I needed," she explained.

"Thanks," Mark told her while Murdock got interested in something else. "We found the name and address that van belonged to. We're headed there now." Glancing at Murdock, he said, "Roger, you should probably wait here. Delilah's canons might be coming out."

"Yeah, I'll help here," Murdock agreed.

.

Derek's face wore a lost look as he noted his dick was dark red. Everything down there had gone numb. "Sorry, babe," he said vacantly.

"We'll get out of this," Jesse told him firmly.

The door squeaked back open. "Reconsider yet?" the bald man asked.

"Fuck you!" Derek spat.

The man shook his head. "You won't be fucking anyone in another hour or two."

"I'll tell you!" Jesse barked out. "Take that thing off him and I'll tell you!"

"Jesse, no!" Derek cried.

The bald man went over to her. "You have it backwards," he explained patiently. "First you tell me where Sarah Connor is, THEN I take that off. By the way, after it dies, I will shove it up inside you so you'll have it."

"Jesse, NO!" Derek yelled.

"She's hiding in a warehouse," Jesse admitted. "That's all I say until that thing comes off Derek!"

The man grabbed her right breast and squeezed hard. "If you are lying, I will take pleasure in slowly destroying these one at a time before we do anything else."

Jesse glared at him. "I'm not lying, and I will tell you. Just get that damn thing off him!"

The man went to his tool box and took out a small knife. He grabbed Derek's genitals and pulled down hard. "Let's hope I don't cut too deep," he said, then cut the band. It flew off onto the floor.

Derek gritted his teeth, then let out a short yelp. With blood flowing back in, his genitals stung with prickling pains.

The man picked up the band and showed it to Jesse. "Now, What is the address?" he asked.

"I don't know the street address, but I can give you directions," Jesse said evenly.

"Jesse, you can't." Derek said weakly.

Jesse did. The bald man nodded and said, "Thank you. If you are telling the truth, someone will come to cut you down. If not, they'll come cut your throats." He then picked up his box and left, shutting the door behind him.

"Jesse, WHY!" Derek demanded.

Evenly, she said, "Derek, think. Who's he going to run into at the warehouse? Are you telling me Cameron and Delilah can't handle a pack of kidnappers?"

Derek looked at her then let out a pained chuckle and said, "Good point. I should have thought of that."

.

Mark left his car a block away like Delilah suggested. Closing on the split level ranch, Mark noted there was no car in the driveway. "This isn't very legal," Mark noted.

"It isn't," Delilah agreed.

"We go in the back."

"Yes."

Coming to the house, they sprinted into the yard and around to the back door. Delilah formed her right arm into a plasma canon. Mark jumped up on the porch and tried the back door. It was open. They rushed into the living room / kitchen area to only find a table with food scraps and a sink of dirty dishes.

"Pigs, they didn't even leave any good stuff," Mark noted.

"Shh," Delilah said raising a finger to her lips. She stepped towards the hallway down. They went down to a lower room that had a TV and was filled with sleeping bags.

"Ten douche nozzles sleep here." Mark noted.

Delilah put her ear to the wall, then stepped back and punched it, making a hole. She ripped the hole open and the hidden door came off the hinge. Tossing the door to one side, she went down the stairs. Mark followed, gun up and ready.

A steel door was at the end. Delilah kicked it open and strode in, Plasma canon first. Mark followed.

"Get men down from here!" Derek yelled.

Mark went over to untie Derek. "Tell me you're not THAT kinky," he said as he freed Derek's feet.

"Just get me down. How'd you find us?"

"Delilah, call John first, those bastards are on their way to the warehouse," Jesse said as Delilah broke the ropes holding her.

.

"They're coming!" John announced as he ran into the kitchen. He opened up the tall closet and pulled out the M-14 and loaded in the 100 round dual barrel clip. Seeing Cameron, he said, "Cam, stay on those monitors, Mom!" He pulled out the pump shotgun. Sarah came in, he gave it to her. "Watch the door. Don't let anyone in, or throw anything in. I'm headed for the roof hatch."

"John!" Cameron snapped. "Don't go out, let the traps do their work first."

"Right!" he said and bolted up the stairs.

.

The bald man drove slowly up the street the warehouse was on. He passed the warehouse as his boys got a good look at it with binoculars. "Well?" he asked.

"Chain and lock on the outside of the doors." one said.

"I see a back door. Pedestrian size."

"Camera mounts, looks like they got the place visually covered."

"Any blind spots?" The bald man asked.

"Hard to tell. Three on the road side. Two each back and front."

"Damn, I hate it when the prey knows what they're doing," the bald man grumbled. He found a spot and turned around. "OK, armor up. Gavin, Ivan, you two take the front. Spray a clip of rounds each into those front doors, spread out and belly high. Jim, Boris, Denis, go in the back. If no one comes running out, then kick the door and gas the place, then go in. Luigi Thomas, Frank and Andrew, take the corners. Tito and Hans, take climbing gear, get on the roof and find a way down in case we need to come at them from above."

The bald man drove slowly back towards the warehouse to give his men time to get ready. He announced, "I'm going drive around the warehouse, get out the back as we go. Gavin, Ivan, as soon as you see me come around the other side, open up."

Driving into the warehouse yard, the bald man drove across the front near the doors and said, "Deploy!"

.

Inside the kitchen, Cameron watched the van come. Then the back door swung open and two men rolled out. She hit the left side claymore button as the men got up and the van passed it.

The explosion flattened the men who'd gotten out, blew both tires on that side of the van and filled the body with shrapnel holes. The van pitched to the side from the concussion then tipped and rolled over on it's side.

Claymore mines were tight. She could hear men screaming from here. Three crawled out of the van to run on. She hit the button as they passed in front of the other claymore. Boom, all three landed on the ground and rolled in pain. They had to be wearing armor, or all the men she saw would be dead. A couple more men crawled out of the back and opened up with automatic gunfire on the warehouse. Two others came out to limp away, using the van for cover. The two shooting followed them.

On a wide angle camera, Cameron noticed the flashing lights and distant wails of police cars coming. So much for that weak attempt. She didn't kill any, but the ones screaming on the ground had bloody arms and legs.

"Cam, what's going on?" John yelled down to her.

Using a Scottish accent, Cameron called back, "I gave'em a proper paddlin. They doan wanna play no more. Come down an watch the fun."

John did. Only two slipped away by throwing their guns and armor off and making it past the next street down. The police came and rounded up all the wounded, cuffing the screaming men. Ambulances came. When she saw Mark's car come around to the back, She went out and met him and Delilah. Derek and Jesse were with them wrapped in emergency blankets.

"We got them back," Delilah said with a smile.

"Damn, Cameron, what did you use on those guys?" Mark asked.

"Claymores are tight," she replied. "As soon as I saw guns, I blew one, A few tried to run, so I blew the second. They just laid down and started screaming."

Mark shook his head with a grin and said, "Remind me to never piss you off."

"Never piss me off," Cameron stated.

Mark laughed. "OK, you guys get inside, I have to go back around front. And please, keep you finger off the triggers on the rest of your claymores while we're here."

.

Frank and Andrew didn't stop running until the hit the south end of town. They sat down to rest under a bridge.

"No one said anything about getting into a fucking war!" Frank barked.

"Boss man was stupid, now he's dead," Andrew said. "He assumed we were after a soft target. That place is a fuckin fortress. What do we do now?"

"Disappear," Frank said firmly. "We got our asses handed to us on a platter, our whole team is dead or in the hands of the cops. Higher ups don't like failure. We get to the safe house, grab our shit and head for Mexico before our names are known."

.

Since the cops and emergency workers were all over the place outside, John and his family were stuck inside. Mark called to let them know the army told the police that warehouse was government property, and to not go inside. The wounded were all taken to an Air Force base under the custody of Homeland Security.

The warehouse was compromised, everyone agreed on that. Colonel Watson tasked them to find a new place nowhere near LA. He wanted them closer to the air base in Palmdale where help was not far away.

Cameron looked at places for sale in the Palmdale area, Delilah looked at each place on Google maps to inspect each one for security concerns.

"Cam, 321 Mountain View lane looks good," Delilah said. Both Cameron and John came over to look at it. It was a small mansion with a wall around the house and yard. Besides the main house, other structures surrounded the pool behind the house. Perched on a small hill, it had a commanding view of the area.

"How much is that place?" John asked.

"Don't be concerned about the price," Cameron told him, "It is fairly isolated and is tactically sound. I'll contact the Real Estate agent and get it. We're going to need more claymores from the army depot."

.

Frank and Andrew got close enough to the safe house to see police tape over the doors and a cop car in the driveway.

"We're so screwed." Andrew said with a huff.

"Yeah, let's find a place to hole up."

Using the credit card they'd been given, they got a motel room and some normal clothes, then grabbed a bite at the nearest fast food joint. Watching the news, they learned it was a gas explosion that erupted at an unused warehouse, no injuries were reported.

Sitting on his bed, Frank barked out a laugh. "Someone's covering up big time."

"No shit. If these Connors are arranging it, we'd need a whole friggin army to deal with them," Andrew stated.

"Not our problem any more," Frank stated. "We only have to worry about getting the fuck out of here."

The door to their room opened up. A man with short cropped blond hair and in a business suit walked in. He lifted up the key he had. "Pass keys are wonderful," he said with a smile.

"Who the fuck are you!" Frank snapped. He wished now he hadn't thrown his guns away.

"You can call me Mr. Peterson," he said and shut the door. "Tell me, what happened today?"

"What do you mean?" Andrew asked.

"Your team were suppose to find Sarah Connor. You did find a couple people living where she should have been. You got information out of them, then … nothing. Your safe house has cops all around it, and most of your team is being held on a military base. I want to know just how you screwed up so badly."

"How did you find us?" Andrew asked.

"Not important. So, what happened?"

"Boss tried to make a hit on a fortress," Frank stated. "We weren't even deployed yet and we got the shit blown out of us and the van wrecked. Everyone else was wounded or dead. "

"And that was the gas explosion that was on the news?" Mr. Peterson asked.

"More like anti-personnel mines," Frank stated. "That warehouse had multiple eyes on every side. Someone was inside, they saw us coming and just waited until we got close enough, then blew us to hell."

"I see," Mr. Peterson said thoughtfully. "And of course, you didn't even see one of those people?"

"No. Like I said, it was almost like they knew we were coming. They were tucked away inside that fortress."

Mr. Peterson frowned and said, "If your boss was still alive, I'd shoot him for incompetence. Tell me, are you incompetent?"

"Fuck no," Frank said indignantly. "The moment we saw the cameras, I knew it was not going to be good. They were watching us. We should have driven away and come back at night and popped those cameras out at long range before we did anything else."

"You get the cameras out, what next?"

"Snipers on the exits, punch a hole though the roof, plenty of gas inside, and only THEN make a forced entry," Frank stated. "Even then, I think it would have been a fire fight inside. Whoever puts up all those cameras and had the place mined, is expecting trouble. You'd be a fool to think they weren't armed," Frank told him.

Mr. Peterson nodded. He cast Frank a stern gaze and said, "We need Sarah and John Connor. Alive is best, dead is acceptable. I need you to gather a new team, money is not an object. I am sure they are going to move, since we found out where they are. That will give you time to collect your men and new equipment. Do. Not. Fail."

Mr. Peterson then put two photos and a card on the dresser and left.

"Damn," Andrew spat.

"Yeah," Frank agreed. "At least he didn't shoot us."

.

Cameron bought the house. An Air Force helicopter flew over it, taking pictures. Catherine Weaver had a large moving van dropped off at the warehouse so they could move their things. John backed it in the front doors then shut the doors and put the padlock back on.

The truck was a 26 foot moving van. Looking in the back, he said to Cameron, "I bet we could fit the dozer in here too."

"Yes, it will be tight, but it will fit. That will be the last load by itself. I will make a ramp for it."

With the work of unloading the house, John didn't have much time for play. Even with all of them working, Sarah directing them, it took a full day to load in the workshop, boxes of claymores and some furniture in the back to hide the more questionable things. They built a crate from the crate fronts and paced the guns and ammunition in one, the terminator parts in another. For the first trip, they left the beds and enough kitchen appliances to live in the house one more night.

Driving to the new house, Cameron unlocked the iron bared main gate using the control panel set into the left hand concrete pillar the 10 foot perimeter wall ended at. She put the key in turned it, then entered the pass code.

From the overhead view, the place looked great. From ground level, it was amazing. The driveway was lined by trees on both sides. It went straight to show the large fountain with a sculpture in the center in the middle of a circular drive.

"Damn, how much was this place?" John asked Cameron.

Cameron cast him a tiny smile and said, "I'd tell you, but you'd probably faint."

Delilah told him, "I looked up the history of this place. Back in the civil war era, it was a Union Fort to help discourage people from siding with the Confederacy. The original walls are two feet thick. The additions were built only a foot thick to help keep the look of the place as original as economically possible. All the outbuildings are standard wooden construction with stone and concrete facings. The interior had been remodeled several times."

"We will be moderately safe here, once the security measures are in place." Cameron added.

"No servants?" John asked.

"No, they were offered, but we can't have anyone here who is not part of the family," Cameron stated.

Driving up to the house, John saw the five car garage. Great, they had room for all the vehicles. Cameron used a remote to open the garage door on the end. "Back in John, there is an unloading ramp on the end of this bay."

John saw the garage was deep as well as five cars wide. He backed in carefully and bumped up to the diamond steel loading ramp.

Before unloading, they took a tour of the house. The polished marble floors and wood grain walls dazzled John's eyes, as did the eight foot diameter, cone shaped gold chandelier in the entryway. Delilah turn it on and the entire room was brightly lit. The stairway that went up and split to the sides seemed to glow with the gold trimmed, white railings. Above, the domed ceiling was a huge painting of angels and devils having a big battle in the clouds.

"Holy crap, this is better than a trailer," Derek said vacantly.

"I can't wait to see the bedrooms," Delilah said with a grin.

"You're right, Cam," John said, "If I knew how much this place cost, I'd faint."

"I would too," Sarah agreed.

"Wow," was all Jesse said as she looked around.

"Why am I thinking we should be on our knees?" Mark asked.

.

John picked the 'master' bedroom. The king sized poster bed was in a room fit for a king that they could probably play baseball in. Bracketing the huge bed were big clothes closets and dressing tables. The other end of the room was an eight foot wide fireplace with couches and chairs around it. On one side was a bar and a kitchenette The other side was large glass double doors that led out onto a balcony. "This room alone could be an entire apartment," he said vacantly.

"Come check out the bathroom," Delilah said, motioning them over. John and Cameron went into a grand bath, complete with a Jacuzzi the size of a small swimming pool. The shower was five feet square, plenty of room for all three of them at once.

"Wow," John said vacantly.

"It's shame we have work to do. I want to get naked," Cameron complained.

"Me too," John admitted. "Well we better get to work."

.

While John and his girls checked out rooms in the house, Sarah and Mark inspected the out buildings. They had a 'tool shed' with plenty of lawn and gardening tools than could be used to store explosives, a pool house that had the circulation pumps for the pool, breaker box and controls for the pool lights, barrels of pool chemicals, a vacuum for the cleaning system, and three six foot tall three foot diameter filters. The two others were 'guest houses', each a good sized single floor house.

"Someone had money," Sarah noted.

"Yeah, and Cameron does too, bless her heart and wallet," Mark replied.

.

For working, Cameron and Delilah had put on their jean shorts and Thing 1 and Thing 2 T-shirts. They were taking off another load of furniture when they heard a car come up the driveway. "Company!" Cameron said loudly. She and Delilah peeked out to see who it was.

An older truck came up and parked outside the garage. The pickup had extended sides that had access doors and the back was filled with cleaning gear. Cameron looked at the man's face as he came around to the back of the truck. She stepped outside. "Hello," she said watching him intently. It was Allison Young's father.

The man turned quickly. "Ahh, hi. Are you the new owner?" he asked.

"Yes, and you are?"

"Daniel Young, I had the cleaning contract for this place. I… was hoping you'd keep me on."

"Yes, of course," Cameron said quickly.

"Great!" he said with a smile. Pointing to her, "You're thing One. My wife, Claire has been searching for news about you and your sister. That was a great act you had. We were expecting you to be putting out some albums. I was going to work on the guest houses today and check the pool. Will that be all right with you?"

"Fine. You have your own business?" Cameron asked.

"Partially," Daniel said with a shrug, "I work for a cleaning service, though I have to supply my own equipment."

"How much of the fifty dollars an hour do you get?" Cameron asked.

"That much?" he asked, surprised. "Damn, I don't even get half that."

"You do now. I will cancel the contract with the cleaning company. Work directly for me, I'll give you the fifty an hour, and supply any equipment you need. All you have to do is not tell anyone we're here, and don't go in anyplace that's off limits," Cameron told him.

"Agreed!" Daniel said instantly. "Thank you very much!" he said and extended his hand. Cameron shook it. "I'll get started. The garden shed isn't off limits, is it? I use the tractor and a cart in there to move my stuff around."

"No, we're still moving in. Just please don't come in the garage. When you're done, come in the house, we'll draw up a contract of you want, or just put you on an automatic payment. Whichever you prefer."

Daniel grinned and said, "You are sure easy to deal with, and generous. Do you have a name besides Thing One?"

"Cameron. I must get back to unpacking now. I'll see you later."

"Later, and thanks again!" Daniel said happily.

Cameron stepped back inside and closed the door behind her. Immediately, Sarah, John, and Delilah surrounded her.

"We can clean ourselves," Delilah stated.

"He may be a security risk," Sarah stated.

"Why keep him, Cam?" John asked.

Cameron looked at John and said, "He's Allison's father. He keeps his job."

"Allison Young?" John asked, knowing the significance of her to Cameron.

"Yes, I want to do what I can to make sure she has a stable, comfortable life."

John hugged her. "Thanks, Cam. That is very good of you."

.

Daniel Young's life had taken a good turn. His wife was teaching school, baby Allison was healthy and growing bigger, and he'd just gotten a hefty pay raise. This was turning out to be a great year!

Daniel spend his eight hours making sure both guest houses were spotless and the pool was set for the next week. He went in and agreed to a weekly paycheck. Cameron got on a laptop and made an automatic transfer weekly to his account. She also signed him up for a family healthcare plan and paid the premiums for the year- no co-pays. He thanked Cameron profusely.

When Daniel got home he was high on the events of the day. He was about to tell Claire the good news but she was bursting with excitement also.

"Danny, the babysitter had an aging expert in, she gave us a picture of what little Allison would look like when she grows up!" Claire said.

"Wow, that's great," he agreed. When she showed him the picture, his heart stopped briefly. He was looking at the beauty named Cameron he was now working for now. The face wasn't similar, it was exact. He mind ran though the day, how she'd been very generous to him. Although it was impossible, it made sense now why she was so generous. "Holy god," he whispered. Was he really working for his grown-up daughter? How could such a thing be possible?

"I know, very pretty, isn't she?" Claire beamed. "What's your news?"

Cameron had told him she didn't want anyone to know she was there. Was this the reason why? Had she somehow come back from the future to help them? To keep her secret he only said, "I got a big raise today."

.

By the time they unloaded the truck and headed back to the warehouse, it was dark. John was very tired, but he still had time for some snuggle fun with his wives. Cameron's milk was good too. A bit sweet, but really delicious. Cameron got a pleasant sensation from John going to sleep while he was nursing on her.

It made her feel like a mother.


	21. Chapter 21

CH 21

Claire Young had noticed the strong similarity between the computer generated picture of her daughter's face, and that of Thing One. It was like they could be sisters, maybe even twins. Watching the you tube video again while holding the picture, she noted from her jaw line, up to the shade of her hair, Thing One was a dead ringer for 'future' Allison. They even had the same mole right on the outside edge of their left eyebrow.

It was while seeing this that Claire felt a chill run up her back. Before Allison was even born, a girl had called the house claiming to be Allison. The girl had sounded meek and scared. Claire thought is was a prank. Now, she wasn't so sure. Dear God, was it Thing One who'd called her? Watching the video, she paid close attention to it this time, and not just to the music. Thing One's name was Cameron. Delilah and her were married to the same man, and happy by the sound of it. They were sisters. Delilah said marriage laws didn't apply to them because they weren't human.

Right after that, Cameron said they can't talk about that and abruptly left with Delilah. The last part was what the UFO people loved. After being chased to the exit, Cameron had turned and stopped the crowd behind them, showing glowing red eyes. She spoke firmly, but appreciative for the attention, then fled out the doors at track-star speed.

Absently turning the computer off, Claire cast her gaze upon little Allison, who was playing with a baby ring and mouthing it. She had a questions that only had impossible answers. She knew one thing, she had to try to find this Cameron and talk to her.

.

"JOHN!" Cameron cried as she dropped down on him and shook him awake at 4 AM.

John came around wide eyed from Cameron's rough treatment. In his mind something was terribly wrong, like they were being attacked. Heart in his throat, he gaped at Cameron and asked "What is it?"

Beaming John a smile, Cameron said in an excited tone, "I have the answer! I know how to protect the baby so we can have sex!"

Sex? Not an invading hoard of terminators, or Grays dropping out of the sky with plasma+ rifles. John stared at her for a moment while his mind caught up with what she said. Cameron was beaming him a smile. Not wanting to ruin her joy, he held back his irritation and said, "That's wonderful. How'd you do it?"

Snuggling down next to him she said, "The sack that our baby is in is pliable to allow for growth. I just made it a little tougher like an internal skin. Now we can have sex and not worry about doing the baby any harm."

John had put his arm around her automatically. His mind was still catching up to being suddenly roused from a sound sleep. Mentally, he'd caught something about the baby's sack and now it was tougher. "That's great, Cam," he said. "But, is it safe to do that?"

"Yes. Towards the end of my pregnancy, it will become thinner. At the current rate of growth our baby will be born in six months, eight days," Cameron explained. Grabbing John's hand, she put it on her belly and said, "You can feel her now."

John slowly rubbed her belly. He felt a small hard spot. "Yeah, I do feel it." He kept gently rubbing the area. "This is amazing."

They kissed. Kissing turned into petting. Cameron sat up on John as the petting became heavier. "I miss this," Cameron said with a sigh and guided John's shaft into her. As he sank in, she cooed out a silky cry of, "Oh ... yes."

Knowing Cameron had not had any sex in a few weeks, Delilah laid there and watched, offering kisses and pets, but let Cameron get most of the attention. She supported her sister's happiness.

.

Once Cameron wore John out with sex, and was pulled off him by Delilah when she shut down again, Cameron and Delilah let John sleep in peace.

.

Since Daniel was coming every day to do some cleaning, Cameron decided the storage room in the garage was the best place to stack their explosives. The guns were distributed around the house. Pistols went in bedroom closets or dresser drawers. The shotguns went over the fireplace in Sarah and Mark's room, and another over the fireplace down in the living room. The M-14 went over the fireplace in John, Cameron and Delilah's room with no clip.

One thing they could not hide was the dozer. On the last trip on their second day of moving, the overloaded moving van waddled up the long drive. The truck was holding the weight, but creaks and the occasional cracking sound told Cameron they had to get it off fast. Delilah had moved the loading ramp in the garage more to the front so the dozer could be unloaded.

John climbed up over the dozer and drove it off slowly. Part way off, the truck's front wheels lifted off the ground. Daniel was bringing his cleaning gear back from the west wing of the house to see the moving truck squatted in the back and the front wheels in the air. Stopping nearby, he got off the tractor and asked, "Need any help?"

Guiding John down, Delilah called, "Thank you, but we got it!"

Coming close enough to see the dozer, Daniel asked, "What is that thing?" John back the dozer off the truck, which dropped back onto it's wheels.

"Half bulldozer, half tank," Cameron offered as she went over to Daniel. "It was made in haste to hold off the North Koreans during the first part of the Korean war. We bought it as an unusual piece of history."

"Wow, and it still runs?" Daniel asked.

"Like clockwork," Cameron said with a smile. "We take good care of it. We had to put a new engine and transmission in it."

Daniel grinned and said, "It's an odd looking beast, but I bet there's not another like it in the world. You collect old things?"

"We just thought this was unusual and John likes to drive it around."

"Slowly crawling up and down hills?" Daniel asked.

Cameron shook her head. "Top speed 47 MPH on uneven ground in the desert."

John backed the dozer down off the ramp and stopped. The garage was barely deep enough, the rear of the dozer was inches from the back wall. At least the moving truck was back on all four wheels. It did look a little odd though. Delilah walked up the ramp and looked in the back.

"I think we ruined this truck," Delilah said. "The floor isn't suppose to be wavy, is it?"

"Neither are the side walls," Cameron said, noting ripples along the side. The truck also seemed to be tipped back slightly. Probably broken springs.

"Wow, will your insurance cover that?" Daniel asked, "I think you trashed that truck."

"No problemo," Cameron said. "I'll buy Mrs. Weaver a new one. Then we can modify this one."

"Cameron?" Daniel asked, taking on a nervous look. "I don't know how to ask this, and it may seem really strange..."

Cameron watched him patiently as he gathered his nerve.

"You see, my wife had a computer generated picture of our little girl made..."

"Allison," Cameron stated.

"Yes, and ..." Daniel stopped and said, "You know her name."

"Yes. I will do everything I can for you, Claire and Allison," Cameron assured him. "If you have any trouble or need help, call me."

"So, are you ..." Daniel stared. Cameron cut him off.

"I am Cameron," she stated. "I cannot say more."

"But ... how?" he asked weakly.

"I am sorry. I realize you want to know. I cannot explain," Cameron told him.

"There is something super-secret going on," Daniel deduced.

"There is. I want to thank you for agreeing to keep anyone from knowing our family is here. It is vital we remain hidden," Cameron said.

"Yeah, I understand," Daniel agreed. He moved to get back to work, then paused to say, "I'm very proud of you. I won't do anything to betray your trust."

Cameron watched him go for a moment, then got back to work herself. Although she had no right to call Daniel her father, she wanted to. To have a mother and father was not possible for her. She would do her best for them to make up for what happened to Allison.

.

Once the dozer was in place and covered up, the moving truck was backed into the next spot in the garage so it could be worked on. The five car garage John thought would be plenty big enough was filling up fast. With the dozer, a truck, Mark's car, their minivan and Derek's pickup, all the bays were full. Where the cars were had room behind them. That was until they got to work on the moving truck. Then that space would be filled with parts and tools.

One good thing about moving here was that while they could not find anything on the people who attacked them, those people also had not bothered them again. With the high walls around the house bearing cameras as well as the outside of the house, and the motion detectors hooked to a security system that had a strong battery backup, anyone surprising them was all but out of the question. Derek and Mark went on supply runs to ensure Sarah, Cameron and Delilah would not be seen.

Since they had a large yard area, Sarah was happy to do perimeter runs with Jesse every day, and had John do them as well. John wasn't keen on this, but understood they had to remain in shape. Delilah ran with John wearing jean shorts a tube top, which made the jogging experience livable for John.

.

As soon as Daniel got home, Claire sat him down and told him about the likeness of 'Thing One', who's name was really Cameron, to the picture she had taken, and the strange phone call she'd received months ago about a girl calling, claiming to be Allison.

"And hearing Cameron speak, I am sure it was her," Claire ended.

Daniel nodded slowly. "It could have been," he replied quietly. "If she was lost and scared, she may have well called for help. Remember hon, you had no way of knowing. It's not your fault."

Claire studied her husband. "You know something," she stated.

Daniel winced and said, "I … can't be sure enough to say anything. I have the feeling something top secret is going on with Cameron and her family. She is very guarded on what she will talk about."

"You've seen her?" Claire asked intently.

Daniel looked up at his wife. "I have," he admitted with a sigh. "For her sake, I can't say any more. We can't talk about it where anyone can hear, either."

"Is she in trouble? Does she need a place to live?" Claire asked quickly.

Daniel grinned and shook his head. "She has a good place to live, trust me on this. I'm sure in time, she will open up to us."

"Daniel, is Cameron our Allison, grown up?"

"She would not say so," Daniel told her. "For how she treated me for just meeting me … I have a very strong feeling she is."

"Daniel, I need to talk to her," Claire insisted.

"Give it time, hon," he told her gently.

.

The local school was having a soccer game to raise money for charity. Daniel told Cameron about it. The school boy's varsity team was going to play volunteers.

Cameron saw this as a good chance to get involved with some good physical activity. Of course she and Delilah were playing too. Delilah went down to the school to registered them.

In the main office, Delilah told the secretary, "I came to register myself and my sister for the charity soccer game."

"Good! we only have three people on the team so far," the secretary beamed. She passed the sign up sheet over. "Have you and your sister played before?"

"We have seen the game and have studied the rules," Delilah said confidently as she wrote their names down.

"But, you've never played? You do know it is very physical," the secretary said curiously.

"Yes. We are fully prepared for physical activity," Delilah explained.

The secretary studied her, then asked, "Are you ... Thing Two?"

Delilah nodded. "I am. The match is next Saturday, correct? We need at least ten people on a team, correct?"

"Yes, twelve is best."

Delilah though for a moment, then signed up John, Sarah, Mark, Derek and Jesse. "OK, that's five more!" she beamed. "I signed the whole family up!"

The secretary looked at the list. "They are all going to play too?"

"They will when I tell them," Delilah agreed.

The secretary asked, "You're sure they will agree?"

Delila nodded. "They will, trust me. We just need three more people."

Delilah went back home to inform everyone. Cameron was happy John was joining them,. Sarah, although she'd ever played before also thought this was a good idea. Derek wasn't thrilled about it, but he agreed to go. Mark went and bought a soccer ball so they could practice. Seeing Daniel, Cameron got him to agree to join the team.

"What about work?" Daniel asked Cameron.

"Soccer is work, but it's fun too," Cameron assured him.

Kicking the ball around, none of them thought it was that hard. The trick was to be able to pass. Derek turned out to be a good goalie. Down at the city park, there was a soccer field. They went down there to practice where they met the two men and a woman who were to be the other three on the team.

Daniel knew them and introduced them, first names only. "Bill, Ken, Sally, this is Delilah, John, Cameron, Derek, Sarah, Mark and Jesse. We'll be playing Saturday at the school."

"All right!" Bill said happily and clapped his hands. "I thought for sure we were going to get stomped."

"We still might," Sally said, "We need to find out who we got that's good."

Sally became the unofficial team captain and ran them through a few drills then had them kick in shots from mid field, then decided on positions.

Sally had to admit, Cameron and Delilah were both better than her, and Jesse was damn close. She decided on herself and Jesse as mid field forwards with Cameron and Delilah on the wings. Ken, Mark and Sarah were the mid-backs, Bill, Daniel and John were full backs, and Derek had the goal. White shirts and blue shorts were going to be their colors.

The went shopping after practice. Cameron got white golf shirts and medium blue shorts for everyone. They had an embroidering service there. Cameron had THING ONE put across the back of her shoulders and THING TWO put on across the back of Delilah's. Sally got CAPTAIN across the back of hers, others just got their names. Everyone was pleased, except Sarah.

"Who put this on the back of my shirt," Sarah asked indignantly as she showed it to John and Mark. They saw it and cheered.

The back of Sarah's shirt read : GRAMMA TO BE

"What's wrong with that?" Cameron asked.

"I'm not a grandmother," Sarah grumbled at her.

"Not yet. That's why you're gramma to be," Cameron explained.

"That is right," Mark agreed. Sarah glowered at him.

.

Word got around school that Thing One and Thing Two were going to play in the charity soccer game. Claire was going to watch to support Daniel anyway, but now many more people bought tickets to the game. Not only parents and teachers, but just about everyone who heard about it. Saturday morning the stands were filled with spectators and video cameras.

Sitting on the bench waiting for the game to start, Cameron and Delilah felt the hundred plus cameras on their backs. "We need to give them a good show," Cameron said.

"We will," Delilah agreed.

"Hey guys?" Sally said, "Remember, these are varsity kids, their team is very good too. If we can even keep up with them, it will be a win."

Cameron eyed Sally and Jesse. "Get the ball to me or Delilah as soon as you can."

Jesse cleared her throat and said, "Girls, it's a game. No one gets hurt, right?" she asked sternly.

"Correct. We will do our best to avoid injuries," Delilah agreed.

The school team came out with their cheerleaders on the field. Both teams took their places. Cameron faced a sturdy boy who watched the coin toss intently. It was like he was disregarding her completely. The boys got the toss. The center kicked to ball towards him, he ran to intercept it. Cameron shot ahead of him and got the ball to head up the field with it. The boy was still gaping at her impossible speed as he ran into one of the centers.

Cameron shot up the field, keeping track of Delilah to her right. A small group was forming in front of Cameron, but Delilah wasn't clear. At a run, Cameron trapped the ball between her feet and jumped up to flip over the players in her way. She came down, then with a strong kick, fired the ball into the goal.

The crowd erupted in a roar. The school coach was stunned, as was most of their team. All the players were gaping at Cameron as she high-fived with Delilah.

Reforming and bringing the ball back into play, the school team tried to drive past Delilah, fearing to get the ball near Cameron again. Delilah stole the ball from the forward and kicked it over to Sally. Sally kicked it to Cameron, who gave it a hard kick over to where Delilah was going to be. A school team's fullback though he was about to intercept then Delilah shot in front of him to kick it hard into the goal. The goalie didn't even see the ball until it bounced back from hitting the net.

Another high five for Cameron and Delilah. Another roar from the crowd.

Again, the school team got the ball to bring it back into play. Being nervous about getting it near Cameron or Delilah, the center threw it into play right in front of Jesse. Jesse deliberately kicked it back to them. "Don't make it so easy mates!" she called.

A minute later, the boys lost the ball to Cameron, who drove in to score another goal.

Cameron saw the boys were looking disheartened. She made hand signals to Delilah. Delilah nodded. This time as the boys took the ball, they stayed on each edge of the field. Jesse and Sally put up a good defense, but the boys moved down field to meet Ken, Mark and Sarah. There, the ball switched sides a couple times, then Sally got it to bring it back a ways, then one boy broke though to charge down their goal. He made a good kick, but Derek caught it. He threw it back up field to Sarah. Sarah stopped the ball and kicked it to Delilah. Delilah kicked it back to her. "Your turn!" she yelled.

"What! You're clear!" Sarah yelled back. She wanted to argue more, but she was being surrounded by the school team. She kicked the ball back to Mark who kicked it to Sally.

Cameron walked and jogged along one side of the field, watching the game as Delilah followed along the other edge. The high schoolers hadn't scored a goal yet, but at least they got more ball handling time. The team of Sally and Jesse were good. Their halfbacks were pretty decent also, and Derek was a good goalie. Cameron knew that older folks got tired quicker though. When they looked to be slowing down, Cameron raced out and stole the ball from a high schooler by stepping on it. He went to kick the ball and tripped. Cameron kicked the ball to Delilah. Having three guys right by her, Delilah stopped suddenly and kicked it back to Cameron mid field. Cameron took it to the outside and raced up field. Seeing a highschooler racing at her from the side, she picked up the speed and dodged past him to cut more to the inside. Seeing no one between her and the goal she kicked the ball hard. It flew low over the field. The goalie dove for it. It bounced off him. Delilah ran past the front of the goal and kicked it back in.

By the end of the first half, they were up 5-0. The rest of their team was tired and limped off the field. During the short rest, Cameron and Delilah bounced the ball between them and tried head butts. Cameron flipped upside down and caught the ball with her feet. Delilah got the ball between her feet, flipped upside down and threw it with a kick. At the end of the rest period, they went back out on the field.

This time Cameron and Delilah got the ball to start mid field. Delilah kicked the ball out to the high school team fullbacks.

The high school used all the tactics they knew, but Cameron still managed to snag the ball from them. She played with the ball for a bit, then bounced it up and used her head to whack it over to Delilah. Delilah head butted the ball hard at the goal. The goalie caught it. He kicked it back out into play. Cameron raced up and with a leap into the air over everyone's heads, kicked the ball to send it back into the goal.

By the time the game was over it was clear the high school team had been 'schooled' and Thing One and Thing Two were going to be put on You Tube again.

.

Returning to the bench after the game, Sarah seemed to die in place, as did Mark and Jesse. Daniel wasn't much better. The only ones not exhuasted were Cameron and Delilah.

Claire had brought baby Allison down to congratulate Daniel on their win. She'd been helping at the concession stand and didn't see most of the game. "All right Danny! she cried, "Good game!" She then saw Cameron and Delilah at the other end of the bench. Her jaw dropped open.

She was here. Thing One, the girl who looked identical to how her daughter was going to look when she grew up. Thing One looked back at her as if studying her.

Daniel groaned himself up. "Claire this is Cameron and her family," he said, motioning to Thing One.

"hi," Claire said weakly.

"Hello. Are you well," Cameron asked, tipping her head slightly. She glanced at Thing Two.

Claire thought she saw some kind of reflection in their eyes briefly as they looked at each other. She thought about the call before Allison was born. The startling resemblance. She ached to ask questions, but was afraid of being rude.

"Daniel, bring Claire up to the house after the game, we're going to have a cook out," Cameron said brightly.

"Yes, we'd love to have you," Delilah agreed.

A teacher came down to thank them for participation and offered them a participation award. Cameron handed it to John, who handed it to Derek who handed it to Sarah, who dropped it off the end of the bench.

The coach came over and asked, "Where did you girls learn to play? You were fantastic out there!"

"We were just having fun," Cameron told him.

"This was our first game, we got lucky," Delilah said with a grin.

Behind them, a young man with a video camera called out, "They are Thing Two and Thing One, they can do anything, anything, anything under the sun!"

A chorus of cheers went up from the growing crowd behind the bench.

Before a media circus could evolve, Sarah got up and announced, "Everyone, we had fun but we got things to do today. Let's go!"

On the way out, Claire got beside Cameron and asked, "I can I talk to you?"

"Up at the house, not here," Cameron told her.

Claire accepted that. She went home with Daniel and got a fresh load of supplies in her baby-bag. Heading back out, Daniel drove the car up to the mansion. "Claire, remember I told you I got a big raise," he asked.

"The new owner of that place you take care of," Claire agreed.

"Right. Well, Cameron owns it."

"So, her and her husband are fairly well off," Claire said.

Coming around the last uphill bend, the walls of the property came into view. Daniel pulled up to the gate and used his card to opened the gate. "You could say that. Wait til you see this place," he told her with a grin.

.

Claire has only seen palaces on TV, this was the first time she'd ever stepped into a place that displayed obscene amounts of money. Just a walk through the entryway, down the hall and out onto the back was enough to dazzle her with the obvious wealth someone had.

On the back patio by the pool a wide stainless steel grill was set up, two picnic tables not far away. Chase lounges were scattered around, Delilah lay sunning herself on one in her black bikini, Sarah lay back on another, beer in one hand, her sun glasses hiding if she was awake or asleep. Derek has shorts, boots and a wide brimmed straw hat and held a beer in one hand, steak flipping fork in the other. Cameron had just set a pile of plates and tableware on one of the picnic tables. She was wearing a blue bikini with her 'THING ONE' T-shirt on over it.

Turning to them, Cameron said, "Hi Daniel, Claire." Pointing she added, "Beer and wine coolers in the cooler, inside the bar there we got a bit of everything. Jesse will be coming out with some food here soon. Make yourselves at home."

"Thank you for having us," Claire offered.

"You want to talk to me," Cameron said.

"We do," Claire agreed.

Cameron looked around, then settled on a spot. "Follow me, please," she said.

Cameron led them off the patio to a round granite table and semi-circular benches on a patch of gravel. Cameron sat down, forearms on the table, hands clasped pose. Daniel and Claire sat down on the bench facing her. Claire put Allison on the table. Cameron turned her gaze to watch the baby play with her hands then wave at the air and make baby noises.

"Cameron, did you call me about six months ago?" Claire asked.

"Yes. I was confused," Cameron said in monotone. "I had ended up in a halfway house. John found me and took me home. I had a glitch and thought I really was Allison Young. Sorry for bothering you."

"A glitch?" Daniel asked.

Cameron shifted her gage to look at him. "I am not Allison. Allison Young was human. I am TOK715, a terminator. I came back from the future to protect John," Cameron explained. "I do have Allison's memories, her DNA and her looks."

Looking confused, Claire asked, "I don't understand, what is a ... whatever you called yourself."

"The glitches I was having was caused by water getting into the back of my head from a hole there caused by an explosion," Cameron explained. Tipping her head down on the table, she pointed out the place and said, "If you feel back here on my skull, you can feel the strip of metal John used to repair me."

"Repair? Don't you mean heal?" Daniel asked.

"No."

Claire, tentatively felt the back of her head. "Danny, feel this! There's a bulge under her skin. It feels like a flat plate."

"That is the metal John put over the hole. John repaired the wiring in my head, then covered it to prevent any further damage," Cameron said flatly.

"You're almost talking like you're a machine," Daniel noted.

Cameron picked her head up. "I am. I do not have a brain, I have a computer chip that is my mind," Cameron explained patiently. "Allison died when I was made. In the present, now that we have defeated Sky Net, Allison will grow up and live like she should have. She will not experience horrible things in the time line I came from."

"Wait, hold on," Daniel said, trying to absorb what Cameron was telling them. "You have Allison's memories and her DNA, but you're not Allison," he said, trying to understand what they were being told.

"Correct," Cameron stated.

"And you're a machine from the future," Claire said, to get it straight.

"Yes. My designation is TOK715."

"What's you're basically saying is Allison was turned into you," Daniel said.

"Yes. Therefore, I am not Allison." Cameron stated.

"Why? Why would you do such a thing?" Claire asked in a strained voice.

"It's complex," Cameron offered weakly.

"Cameron is strong and armored internally," Delilah said as she came up and sat by Cameron. "She can deal out and take incredible punishment, which she has done time and time again." Clapping a hand on Cameron's shoulder, Delilah said, "No human could possibly survive what Cameron has had to go though. Besides being tough and smart, Cameron taught me what emotions are. She is so awesome, she can even have a baby! Yeah! Cameron is the first cyborg to ever have a bun in the oven."

"Hold on, how can Cameron be pregnant if she's a machine?" Daniel asked.

Claire pointed to Cameron and said, "You have Allison's DNA and her memories, correct? Then that means you are Allison!"

Cameron stared at Claire.

"I think Claire's right," Daniel announced. "OK, you've got metal and computer chips in you now. Apparently, you've gone though hell, and something is still going on, that's why you're hiding up here. If you want to be known as Cameron, that's fine. I also can see where the Thing One and Thing Two came from. I want you to remember this. You, both of you, are much more than just 'things'. We will always support you and be here for you, no matter what you call yourself."

"You are one too?" Claire asked Delilah.

"I'm a T890. Different model, but still a machine," Delilah explained. "If it matters any, since I have been with John and Cameron, I feel like a person. I am mechanical, but a person none the less. I have emotions, wants and desires. I can be happy or sad. And one thing that makes me really happy is that you are accepting Cameron for what and who she is."

Walking by, John and Mark heard them. Mark called over, "Delilah, show'em your canons!"

John flushed and said, "No, don't! Delilah, no showing off your canons."

"You really shouldn't," Cameron told her.

Daniel noted the size of her chest and flushed. "Ah, yeah, no showing off the canons," he said. They were already plenty visible enough.

"Men!" Claire grumbled at them.

Derek and Jesse announced food was ready. Heading off to eat, Cameron took care of baby Allison so Claire could eat. Fascinated by the baby that grabbed for her hair, or anything within range, Cameron had a good time holding her. She found wiggling her finger so Allison could grab it made the baby giggle. When Allison started sucking in her hand, Cameron understood she was getting hungry. She pulled her bra cup up, then tucked Allison up under her shirt. It was a close fit and her shirt rode up some, but Allison did find her nipple to suck on.

John noticed what Cameron was doing the same time Claire did. "Cam, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Don't worry John, there will be plenty left for you," Cameron told him.

"Cam?" John asked, "I think you're suppose to ask Claire before you nurse her baby."

Cameron turned to Claire. She also noticed on the other side of Claire, Daniel was trying not to see. "I am giving Allison all the vitamins and nutrients she will need to grow up strong and healthy," Cameron explained.

Claire offered her a smile.

"Do you HAVE to do that at the table?" Sarah asked, glowering at Cameron.

"Everyone else is eating at the table," Cameron countered.

Mark laughed.

Claire noticed most of the men weren't comfortable with Cameron breastfeeding. It only convinced her more that whatever 'future' Allison had gone through, her Allison was still inside there someplace. "This Sky Net war was bad?" she asked.

"Billions dead," Derek said curtly. "Yeah, it was bad all right."

"But we stopped it," John said firmly. "We destroyed Sky Net before it had a chance to shoot off nuclear weapons. Even coming back to protect me, Cameron's been shot I don't know how many times, beaten up by Sky Net machines and blown up." He then smiled and added, "But now, she gets to be more just a fighting machine. She gets to be a wife and mother."

"You did that for me, John," Cameron said, offering him a smile.

"I love you and you love me," John told her. Seeing Delilah, he added, "And we both love Delilah."

"I love both of you too," Delilah said with a happy grin.

Carefully, Claire reached over and gave Cameron a one armed hug. "You make me so proud," she said with a sniffle. Glancing at the house, she said, "You deserve to live in a place like this if anyone does." Sitting back up she asked, "When is your baby due?"

"Five months, twenty nine days," Cameron explained. "The baby is growing at an exponential rate. My stomach will be expanding soon to make room."

Claire laughed and said, "Yes, that does happen." After a pause, she took on a blank look and said, "Wow, talk about weird, I'll be a grandmother and I'm only 26!"

"Not a lot that's normal happens around here," Mark said with a smirk.

"I guess not," Daniel agreed.

Jesse said, "Just remember, if anyone asks about us, you don't know anything."

"Right, someone still wants to kill us," Delilah added.

"Not a word," Daniel promised.

As they talked and ate, Claire watched Cameron handle little Allison carefully. She fed and burped her, then let Allison sleep in her arms. Claire noted how comfortable Cameron seemed to be with a child. She also looked happy. Although it was hard to imagine someone the size of Cameron being a hardened warrior, she had no trouble seeing Cameron as a good mother.

.

Frank had people looking all over LA. Even if Sarah and John Connor were holing up someplace, they had to come out for supplies. He had people constantly checking stores , hotels, convenience marts, area where the homeless hung out, churches, warehouses and empty buildings. The original warehouse was locked, but he got a couple brave young hoodlums to break in. To his surprise, they came back alive. They had found a house within the warehouse and were going to strip the copper out of it. That was fine by him, he just wanted to confirm the Connors had left.

Andrew was the one to go check on the progress of the search, just in case. He did his searching on the internet in his apartment. Looking through videos, he didn't expect to find anything. Seeing a karaoke contest he watched seeing a couple talented lovelies. As he watched the show, he noted a young man in the front row. He didn't gt a good look at the guy until the boy had met the two women and got a good profile of him.

Frank stopped the video and looked. That could well be John Connor. Why a kid was so important was beyond him, but this could be pay dirt. He watched the rest of the video all but ignoring Thing One and Thing Two, then the other singers. At the end the two sexy girls for another song. They talked to the DJ, then got down off the front of the stage and met the boy again. The three went off together.

Frank backed the video up and looked at his Picture of Connor. Yes, the boy was associated with the two Things. He looked for more videos of them.

The only new video was 'Thing One and Thing Two at a charity soccer match'. At the end of the match, he got a good look at John and Sarah Connor. He noted the name of the high school and looked it up. It was in Palmdale.

Right, The Connors had fled LA. He called his boss to let him know he had a good sighting. Now, to move his searchers to Palmdale.

.

Pedro had his 'factory' built and security in place. His tech people were docile, knowing if they didn't perform, their families would suffer more than underground apartments. His arrangement with Emilio was going well. The sub had taken it's third load of drugs north and came back with much needed advanced computer parts taken from a university. To keep Emilio and his town happy, he paid for more work and built a couple large fishing boats. His operation was in place, and a memory chip was coming to help speed up their research. All was going well. He even had a couple of young Chiquita's to keep him happy.


	22. Chapter 22

CH 22

It wasn't until the next week when she was reading a story about a medic in the Battle of the Bulge that Claire truly thought about the things Cameron had told her. Reading the accounts of the horrible damage done to people due to being shot and explosions that tore people apart, Claire envisioned Allison there. Limbs blown off, guts that had to be put back inside people after being hit by a mortar. Being blinded, seeing people ripped up so bad that they were going to die and nothing could be done for them. She read about the chaos of war.

Claire then remembered the plate in the back of Cameron's head she had felt. The plate that covered up a hole on the back of her head resulting from an explosion. It was not the Battle of the Bulge Cameron had been in, but another war that was to happen in the future. Cameron had been on a battle field just as brutal, possibly more so than what the account of this medic was telling of. The only way she had survived at all was the fact she had been stripped of her humanity to become one of those 'T' things. The thought made Claire want to wretch. The sweet looking and acting girl that was the person her little Allison would become, had literally gone through hell. The fact Cameron survived to come back into the past and stop that war from happening was simply amazing. There were many details Claire didn't know, and she didn't want to know. The fact her little girl fought in a horrible nuclear war was bad enough.

Talking to a science professor, Claire posed the question of how time travel could be achieved. The man had theories, but insisted that certain actions, say like going back in time to kill yourself or your parents, could not happen for it would create a paradox. For someone to go back was possible, if one discovered how to do so. As far as changing the past, he didn't think it was possible. Claire was sure is was. John said they had stopped the Sky-thing from starting a huge war. Since Cameron was here, that proved to her changing the past was possible. She was also sure that if any information was allowed to come out, Cameron would be known as one of the greatest heroes of all time.

Cameron claimed Allison in her time was dead because she was no longer human. The fact Cameron had a husband and a family and was having her own child proved to Claire that she might be changed in ways that were irreversible, but her brave girl was still alive, only changed so much she didn't recognize herself. That was fine though, Claire knew who she was.

Going out to the parking lot at the end of the day, Claire noted a few men standing around her car. The way they looked at her and watched her approach made her nervous. She didn't recognize any of them as student or staff. She turned and went back to the school building. Other people were coming out. She waved to Mr. Rolan, motioning him closer.

"Yes, Mrs. Young?" he asked.

"Do you know those men?" she asked pointing to the group.

Seeing they were being pointed out, the men walked away.

"Were they bothering you?" he asked.

"They just made me nervous," Claire admitted.

"Go ahead and get in your car. I'll watch and follow you out of the lot. OK?"

"Yes, thank you," Claire said, relieved.

Claire got in her car. After she pulled out of the lot, she waved to Mr. Rolan. She went on her way, not noticing the black Toyota following her a few cars behind as she went to the baby sitters.

.

Allison had a 'grumpy' day. For some reason, she just had one of her 'baby days'. Claire arriving did settle the baby down some. Claire fussed with her on the way out to the car, koochi-cooing and coaxing her to giggle. Claire opened the back door of her car to put Allison and her baby seat in, and a hand pulled her in. Shocked at seeing a man in her car, Claire jumped back and opened her mouth to scream.

The man pointed a knife at Allison and hissed, "Shut up and get in!"

Face open in shock, and fearing for Allison's life, Claire froze. "Please, don't hurt her," she squeaked out.

"Get in, and drive," the man commanded.

"You can have the car..." Claire offered.

"In and drive, now!" the man snapped. He moved the knife closer to Allison to touch her shin.

Claire quickly got in. "Please, I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt my baby!"

"Take a right leaving this lot. Drive three blocks, take a left, then stop where I tell you," the man instructed.

"OK...OK," Claire whined out in panting breaths. "Just don't hurt my baby," she pleaded.

Shaking in fear, Claire did as the man said. He had her pull over to park behind a store where a gray van sat. A man there opened her door and had her get out and into the van.

Claire recognized the three men in the van. They were the ones from the parking lot. "What do you want?" she asked nervously.

The man with a crew cut , black leather jacket and a dirty T-shirt held a picture up to her. "Thing One and Thing Two, this is them, yes?" he asked.

It was a picture of the group by the bench at the soccer game. Claire nodded.

"This one here, who is she?" the man asked, tapping his finger over Sarah.

"I only met them once..."

"Hey!" the man snapped. "You want your kid to live? Answer the question!"

"Sarah. I think," Claire said quickly.

"Last name Connor?" the man asked.

"I think so, yes," Claire whined.

"Where do they live?"

Claire's mouth dropped open. "I ... don't know, we only saw them at the game..."

Her purse was jerked off her arm and dumped on the van floor. another man went through everything in her bag, spreading it out on the floor. The man in the leather jacket pulled her out of the van and forced her to look at the man in her back seat sitting by Allison. "You will tell me everything, or else!" he growled.

"I don't know anything else!" Claire cried. "They were at the charity game, they played, they left after the game!"

"Where do they live?" the man barked.

"I don't know!" Claire wailed out and broke down in tears.

.

The day after the soccer game, John watched parts of it on You Tube. Like the karaoke contest, the videos were all about Thing One and Thing Two. There were also shots of their team bench which showed everyone. "Someone who wants to come after us will see this," John noted dryly.

"I'm sorry, John," Delilah said meekly. "I just wanted us to have a fun day with everyone."

John clasped her hand and kissed it. "I know. I didn't think about it either. The thing is, we're safe here, but the Youngs are not."

"We should watch over them," Cameron said tonelessly. She knew she was guilty of exposing them as well.

"I'll do it," Delilah said. Getting up, she turned to her lovers. "It's my fault, John. I will go watch over them."

"We should bring them here," Cameron stated.

"We probably shouldn't do that until we know someone has connected them to us. Watching them will be enough for now," John told her.

"I'll do it," Delilah insisted. "I caused the danger, I will watch over them. Besides, Cam, you have a baby to look out for." She then turned and walked out.

Delilah took the minivan. She heard a saying that a woman in a blue minivan could get away with damn near anything. She didn't know if that was true, but they were a good inconspicuous vehicle.

.

Delilah got the Young's routine down the first day. After breakfast Daniel got Claire off with Allison, then his truck loaded up and headed up to the mansion. Claire drove to the babysitters, then off to school. Claire picked to Allison on the way home. Daniel usually arrived just before she did.

The fourth day of watching them, Delilah noted the men around Claire's car. Claire saw them too and got the attention of another teacher. Delilah watched the men drift back to a black car. Claire and the teacher left, the black car followed Claire, Delilah followed the black car a little more discretely.

Delilah watched when a man snuck into Claire's car. She thought about calling Mark, but decided against it. She felt sorry Claire looked so scared, but she had to find out what these men's plans were. When Claire drove around to the back of the store, Delilah parked out front.

One man was in the black Toyota. Window down, he watched Delilah approach with a big grin.

"Hey babe! Nice rack!" he proclaimed. "I'd like to get lost in those fun bags."

Delilah smiled as she went over to the window. She then grabbed his head in both hands, pulled and twisted, snapping his neck. She continued on around back to hear Claire's wailing cry. Stepping into view of Claire being held by one man, a man in Claire's back seat with Allison, and a third man by the van, her HUD quickly came up with ranges and targeting information. "She doesn't know. Ask me," Delilah announced.

The man holding Claire grinned widely and said, "Yeah, come on over here sweetheart. Billy, grab her."

The man by the van ran over to grab Delilah. Without breaking stride, Delilah grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm with the sound of a loud pop. She spun him around as he cried out, grabbed the back of his pants and the back of his shirt, picked him up over her head and threw him down, head first to pile drive him into the pavement. A loud crack was heard as he impacted. Billy moved no more.

"You're next," Delilah intoned as she closed on the man holding Claire.

"Fuck you," He growled and shoved Claire into her. Delilah caught Claire and guided her fall to the side as the man cocked back to stab her. Delilah ignored the knife and drove a hard punch into the man's collar bone. His knife sunk into her belly as his bones snapped. He fell screaming, Delilah pulled the knife out of herself and looked at it briefly. She quickly drove it into the back of the screaming man's thigh, which made him scream louder. A pull wit the knife on place to turn him over, then she pulled the knife out and drove it into his other thigh and left it there.

A car door slamming shut got her attention. The man who'd held the knife on Allison was now running away. Delilah sprinted after him. He almost made the corner of the building when Delilah body blocked him into the wall. Grabbing him, she threw him back over by the man screaming in agony.

"No running," Delilah intoned.

Landing near the man now gritting his teeth in agony, the runner moved to stagger up. His face was bloody and he'd gained a bad limp.

"Who do you work for?" Delilah asked.

"What are you?" the limping man cried as he cast her a terrified look.

"Tell me who your boss is or you die," Delilah stated as she strode towards him.

Limping backwards, he tripped over the prone man, then crab crawled backwards, eyeing her in fear. Delilah walked up and stomped on the prone man's head. A loud crack like an ax hitting wood was heard. the prone man stopped moving and making noise.

"Garcia!" the last man cried as he scurried backwards, trying to get away.

Delilah took a few quick steps to catch up, then reached down and grabbed him by the neck to haul him upright. "Where is he?" she demanded.

"Number 23 east main, apartment ... second on the right after you go up the stairs," the man blubbered.

"Who is he after?" Delilah asked in a hard tone.

"Someone named Sarah Connor ... and John Connor," he croaked quickly.

"Thank you," Delilah said tonelessly, then crushed his neck. She let his body drop to the ground.

.

Claire sat gaping at Delilah. She just killed three men! She'd been stabbed deep in her stomach and acted like it was nothing! Delilah was coming over to her. Claire cringed, was she next?

Delilah squatted down in front of Claire. "Breathe," she said. Then in a more firm tone, she said, "Breathe!"

Claire sucked in a long breath. She also started shaking. Hearing Allison cry, Claire began crying also. She felt arms go around her.

"It's OK, you're safe now," Delilah said softly. "Up, we have to leave."

For how brutal Delilah had treated those men, she was gentle with Claire. She got Claire up and over to the van to collect her purse back together

"Can you drive?" Delilah asked.

Claire nodded. Through her teary eyes, she noted the blood on Delilah's stomach. "You're bleeding," she said weakly.

"It's nothing, it already stopped. We need to get your things together, we can't have anyone finding them," Delilah told her gently.

They got Claire's things back in her purse, then Delilah escorted her back over to her car. She got Claire in, then knelt by the back door and cooed and soothed Allison until she calmed down. Delilah shut the back door and leaned on Claire's door. "I want you to go home and pack, then go up to the mansion. I have to call John again and let him know what's going on. Daniel knows something is up, Cameron had him stay at the house until this was over. Do you have a gun at home?"

Claire shook her head. "You're going to kill Garcia?" she asked meekly.

"I will after he tells me everything he knows."

"Does Cameron and John know you do ... things like this?" Claire asked weakly.

"Cameron wanted to do it, but she has a baby on the way and we don't want to risk any harm to it," Delilah replied. "Claire, we are terminators, this is what we do. We do not run from our enemy, we do not call police, we do not bargain. Someone comes after us or our loved ones, we hunt them down and we don't stop until they are dead. Please drive carefully on your way home."

Claire nodded. She started the car and drove back out to the road, her mind numb. She tried hard not to think about what she'd just seen.

.

Delilah called John as she drove to Garcia's place. " ... Claire is on her way home, upset but unharmed ... Yes, John I think they should stay with us also ... I'll let you know after I squeeze some information out of this Garcia."

23 east main street was an apartment complex. Delilah went in and up to the second floor. Not having the correct apartment number, she went to the second one on the right after the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a rough voice called.

"Thing Two," Delilah replied.

"Ha! funny. tell me your name or I come bash your face in!"

"You're too slow and weak, I will eat you for lunch," Delilah called back. She heard a chair move and someone stomped to the door.

The door flung open to show a large, plump Hispanic man who had a scowl on his face that shifted to surprise.

"Garcia?" Delilah asked.

"Si, Muchacha!" he said happily

POW

Delilah punched him in the face, knocking him down and out. She dragged him back into the apartment and shut the door. Pulling him through some scattered clothes and down a short hall dragging a strip rug, she got him in the bedroom and on the bed, then tied his arms and legs spread eagle. She gagged his mouth then went looking in the kitchen area for things she was going to need.

Returning with a bucket of tools and a glass of cold water, Delilah poured the water on his face. He jerked and sputtered awake. She pulled his gag off.

"Garcia, you will tell me who hired you," Delilah said.

"Who are you?" he asked, eyeing her.

"I told you. I am Thing Two. Tell me who you work for, or you will be in extreme pain," Delilah said and pulled a salt shaker and a paring knife out of the bucket.

Eyeing the items, he said, "You know, if you hurt me, I'll have your whole family killed."

Delilah put his gag back over his mouth. She then planted a pillow over his face and used the paring knife to cut the skin of his underarm. He jerked and cried out. She opened the wound to the side, just skin deep. she pulled the loose skin out and shook salt on it. She rubbed the salted skin into the wound.

Garcia wailed out a high pitched scream like a school girl. Delilah kept at the wound for a couple minutes, then lifted the pillow. Garcia's face was red with pain, his eyes wet with tears. "Ready to talk yet?" she asked. "I can do this all day long." She pulled his gag down.

"I... I'll have you fuckin barbecued, bitch!" he cried. "I'll cut your fuckin arms and tits off! I'll have you thrown bleeding and naked into a pig pen and laugh as they eat you!"

Delilah put the gag and pillow back in place, then opened the slit on the underside of his arm down to his elbow. Gacia wailed out curses and jerked at his bonds. Delilah took her time peeling his skin loose, then salted it again, nice and heavy.

"I'll kill you so dead your mama will die!" Garcia's muffled voice wailed.

Delilah kept torturing him until his voice grew hoarse. Once he calmed down to panting breaths, she took the pillow off his face. She turned his head to face her. "You really want to die slowly, don't you?" she asked.

"When my boys get back we're gonna rape you to death!" he spit.

"I already killed them. No one's coming to save you," she told him.

"I will see you strung up and skinned alive!" he cried.

"Skinned alive ... yes, that will do nicely," Delilah agreed. "I can use your skin to make something crafty. Maybe a few lamp shades." She put the pillow back in place and tore some more skin loose.

A few more times and having most of his upper arm skin peeled away, and Garcia broke down.

"I tell you!" he cried. "I tell you so I can kill you to death when I get loose!"

He was becoming delirious, but cooperative. "Who do you work for. Name!" Delilah demanded.

"I only know him by Frank. He pays us good. Works out of Chinese place down on fifth. We get our jobs and make our reports there. No phone, no modern bullshit. Face to face. Now let me go!"

Delilah said, "Sure." Taking a long knife out of the bucket she stabbed him deep through his left eye and into his brain. He shuddered and gaped at nothing. His limbs kept quaking. After a couple minutes, she pulled the knife out and stabbed it in to the hilt at a different angle. Now, only his left leg shook in quakes.

"You're gone," she said then walked out, locking the door behind her.

Delilah had a feeling this Frank was a little smarter than the trash she'd been cleaning up. Since his helpers were gone, she doubted he'd hang around that restaurant. The moment he found out they were dead, he'd disappear. She had once chance to spot him.

Delilah found the restaurant and got a corner table. A cup of tea was all she had, just something so she could sit at watch people coming and going. The waitress was nervous. Right, she had blood on her shirt. She moved to keep a chair on the other side of the table between her and the room.

John called.

"Delilah, Daniel brought Claire and Allison back here. They are going to stay in one of the guest houses for a while. Claire looks … wrung out."

"I'm sorry, John," Delilah said quietly. "She saw me get stabbed and kill those men. I'm waiting in the Chinese place on fifth for their boss to show up."

"Find anyone in a suit yet?"

"No. It may be a while. I didn't get their schedule."

"Want backup?"

"A shirt would be nice. People are giving me odd looks."

"Derek will bring one for you."

"Thank you. The one I'm looking for is named Frank. No description."

"That's not much to go on. If he knows you offed his men, he most likely fled," John told her.

"I know. This is my only chance to catch him. I'll stay until the place closes. If I don't see him by then, I missed him."

"Good luck, Hon. Call if you need something."

.

Delilah waited another hour and Derek strode in. Delilah took the shirt he offered and changed in the bathroom, throwing her bloody shirt way. She came back out. Nothing had changed. Derek bought a six pack and left.

The waitress came by again. This time Delilah got a small order of sweet and sour chicken and another cup of tea.

"Excuse me "ma'am, are you waiting for someone?" the girl asked.

"Frank was suppose to meet me here," Delilah told her. "He comes here often."

"Ahhh yes, the tall man, looks like a wrestler. If I see him, I'll let him know you're here," the girl said brightly.

"Thank you."

Delilah watched people, mostly couples come and go. A few families came in and a group of teenagers. In was getting dark by the time a single man came in. The waitress hailed him and talked to him briefly and pointed over to Delilah. The man locked eyes with her.

For a moment, Delilah thought he was going to walk back out. He didn't. He came over to the table and sat down across from her.

"You are Thing Two," he said with a grin.

"And you are Frank?" she asked.

"My guys send you to find me?" he asked.

"They told me where to meet you," Delilah replied.

"You have information for me?" he asked.

"What information did you want?"

Frank frowned at her. "I need the location of Sarah and John Connor. Give me that and I can give you two hundred thousand, right now." he said firmly.

Delilah cast a glance outside and said, "Perhaps we need to take this out to my car."

Frank cast her a stern gaze. "If you're thinking to rob me, I got my boys outside," he said evenly.

In an even tone, Delilah said, "You mean the big guy with the leather jacket and dirty T-shirt, the skinny bearded guy and Billy? Sorry, they are dead, so is Garcia. I killed them. If you want to live, you will tell me who's paying you."

Frank immediately looked around. "You shoot a gun off in here, and you'll be in jail before I hit the floor," he warned.

"I don't need a gun," Delilah said flatly. "Tell me who your boss is and you can walk out of here. I won't hunt you down and kill you."

Frank reached into his shirt and pulled out a small silenced pistol. "What's to stop me from killing you?"

Delilah grinned at him and said, "Shoot."

"You are one crazy bitch," Frank stated. "Yeah, let's go outside." He got up and motioned her up.

Delilah got up and went to the cash register. She pair the tab with Frank right behind her.

"Go right, on the sidewalk," Frank ordered.

Delilah did. Outside, he put the gun in her back trying to hurry her along. Past the Laundromat, he growled, "In the alley."

They no more than got in the alley and he put the gun to her head and shot. The bullet bounced off her skull and hit him high on the forehead. He recoiled. Delilah spun grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the wall. His face bore shock as she ripped the pistol out of his hand and crushed it one-handed.

"Now, you will tell me who you work for, or I crush your neck next," Delilah intoned.

"That's impossible," he whispered, wide-eyed as blood trickled down from his forehead.

Delilah tightened her hold on him. He tried braking her hold, punching her and kicking. She kept slowly tightening down until his face was turning purple.

"Do you really want to die?" she asked. She let up enough to let him breathe.

"Stop," he gasped out.

"Name, now," Delilah demanded.

Frank dug until his pocket and pulled out the business card he'd been given. "This guy," he said with a rasp. "He gave us the job, or else. He pays us and wants reports on where the Connors are."

"You meet with him?" Delilah asked.

"Only once. Phone only contact after that."

"Describe him."

"Tall, short blond hair, he wore a blue suit."

"Your phone. Now," Delilah said and held her hand out.

He dug in his pocket and handed it to her.

Delilah kicked his feet out from under him and threw him to the ground. "Stay there, stay quiet," she ordered.

He did.

Delilah matched a number on the card to one on Frank's phone and called it.

"Hello?"

Using Frank's voice, she said, "It's Frank. I found the Connors. What now?"

"Where?"

Delilah gave him the address of a closed store. "Seen'em coming and going. They are holed up there. So, what now?"

"Good work. Now, you keep a watch on them. See any weapons?"

"If they have them, it's pistols. Nothing visible. Meet me and I can show you where the place is," Delilah said.

"You show the man in charge when he gets there. THIS time we're taking them out!"

*click*

Looking up at her, Frank asked, "How did you do that?"

Delilah grinned and flashed her eyes red. "I'm not human," she said, then stomped on his chest hard. Her foot broke through his rib cage. He got out a short gasp before he died. She tossed his phone down on him and walked away.

.

John approved of Delilah's plan. That night around 1 AM, Delilah, Cameron Derek and Jesse went down to the vacant store and planted explosives with remote detonators. The place used to be a bridal shop, so they put a mannequin by a window as if it was looking out.

The nice part about having a decorative bell tower and a telescope was they could watch that store from the bell tower. Cameron and Delilah took turns keeping a watch on the place. The news was hot with rumors of a 'gang war' going on from the bodies being found. John was nervous that strike team wasn't going to come. Mark found out the man Frank had been calling was officially an accountant, but having his phone number in a dead man's phone got his phone lines tapped.

Five nights later, Cameron saw figures going in the store in combat gear. She made sure they were not police, and they were all inside. She blew the charges. The store went up, flinging roof bits high in the air. The gas they left ignited, igniting the debris. Not a single man emerged from the burning wreck of a building. So much for that attempt.

.

In the morning, Cameron noted Daniel and Claire coming in for breakfast. She greeted them with a cheerful, "Morning! It's safe for you to go home now."

In her carrier, Allison cried and sucked on her hand. Seeing this, Cameron's face scrunched up. "Ohh, she'd hungry. Can I feed her?' Cameron asked.

"Go ahead," Claire replied.

Claire had gotten over her shock at how heartless Delilah had been. Still, she knew both Delilah and Cameron were soldiers. That was what soldiers did. They destroyed the enemy. Cameron was more than a soldier. At the moment, she was tending to Allison, cooing in a soft tone as she put Allison to her breast to feed. Claire knew she would become a great mother. As if to try and spoil that vision of her being a caring mother that Claire had, Cameron said, "All those men who wanted to hurt you are dead."

"Thank you. Please don't tell me how you know that," Claire said.

"We boomed last night?" Derek asked as he came in with Jesse.

"We did. All that's left is the head man, and the police are watching him," Cameron told them.

Daniel let out a short chuckle and said, "Cameron, your family really is bad-ass."

"We are," Delilah beamed as she helped Cameron served breakfast, then settled down by John in their robes.

"We must be bad asses to survive," Cameron stated.

Claire thought that was a very odd statement for a woman with a baby at her breast.

After breakfast, Daniel and Claire packed their things. Cameron helped by tending to Allison's needs, including diaper changes and bathing. Getting their suitcases in the car, Cameron said, "You need a new car. Someone unfriendly might know what yours looks like."

"You're going to buy us a new car?" Claire asked, hoping to relay they couldn't afford one.

"Yes," Cameron replied. "Find the one you want, then call. I'll make the payment arrangement."

Daniel cast her a surprised look. "Cameron, you don't have to do that. This car is only two years old," he said.

"I do," Cameron told him. "Your car has been seen, possibly the make model and license plate has been recorded by someone we don't know about. The people who bothered you were after us. I feel responsible for that. Please, go to a dealership and pick out a new car, I want to keep you as safe as possible."

"I always wanted a Mercedes," Daniel quipped.

"That is a good choice. They are reliable and durable," Cameron agreed.

Daniel's jaw dropped.

"Cameron!" Claire cried, "We really don't need to be that extravagant!"

"Then don't, pick another good, sturdy automobile," Cameron said. "Just please, get one. I can pay the dealership myself, or put the money in your bank account, and you can pay them. Just please, get a new car."

"I don't know what to say," Claire said.

"Thank you is appropriate," Cameron said with a grin.

"Are you getting a new car?" Claire asked.

"Not exactly a car. A new emergency escape vehicle. A custom Ripsaw EV 2," Cameron replied.

"What's that?" Daniel asked.

"An EV 2 with special armor plating and seats four," Cameron explained.

"So what's a Ripsaw EV 2?" Claire asked.

"A luxury tank."

"A tank?" Claire asked.

"Yes, a light, very fast tank," Cameron said. "It will be able to keep up with the dozer if we need to evacuate."

"Wow," was all Daniel could say. That thing in the garage wasn't just a museum piece. They planned on using it, and it had a canon! He felt sorry for whoever tried to screw with the older version of their daughter.

.

Mr. Peterson was not happy. The place his men had targeted blew up with his men in it. Another wet work team was gone, the media was looking for answers and he still had no idea where the Connors even were. Frank, his latest head man, was found in an alley at a mall dead. Whoever these Connors were, had long arms.

Leaving his office at the end of the day, he knew Mr. Rains was not going to be happy. 20 men dead, he'd made no progress, and his efforts were gaining the attention of the authorities. He wondered if it was time to relocate and make himself invisible. Between Mr. Rains possibly coming after him for his failure, he was sure the Connors were working at tracking him down also.

The Connors had to have serious backing to foul his plans so completely. He was thinking maybe they were government agents. That would explain some things. If that was the case, then he really did need to move far away, like out of the country.

Digging his keys out of his pocket as he approached his car he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He immediately grew dizzy. Looking down at himself, he saw a red stain appear in the middle of his chest. He had time to think 'I've been shot', then collapsed on the ground, dead.

.

Leon Rains knew a hard opponent when faced with one. Going after the Connors had failed miserably. To erase his mistake, he had Peterson killed to stop a trail back to him. He decided to work on the Mexico project and work with Pedro. If nothing else, killings in Mexico happened frequently and were put down as 'drug wars', even if they weren't. He was not going to probe into the Connors or Zeira again until he had some decently high ranking people to blackmail. He had to build his organization up to be able to take on established people like Zeira and the Connors. He would bring them down, eventually.

.

The material research division of Zeira corp. had developed a high strength - light weight armor that was four times as effective as steel and had ten times the heat resistance. The titanium / coltan mix was only half the weight of steel by volume. They already had a customer, and the new tracked vehicle was being delivered to be clad in this material, as well as an order for shaped plates to be delivered with the new EV 2.

 **NOTE: If you want to see what a Ripsaw EV2 is, check it out on youtube :)**


	23. Chapter 23

CH 23

Life settled down for the Connors and the Youngs in the next few weeks. The Youngs did buy a brand new BMW SUV, thinking (and hoping) they were going to keep it for a long time. Knowing John, Sarah, Cameron and Delilah could not expose themselves to the public, Claire began spending Sundays up at the mansion. Most of that time Claire spent with Cameron to help her get ready for her own baby. They looked through sites for baby furniture, clothes and accessories. Claire had no doubt Cameron was going to breast feed, it was just a given. She did get Cameron to admit she still needed good glass baby bottles and a better breast pump.

The nursery Cameron set up was next to their large bedroom, although Cameron planned on keeping Joan or John Jr. depending upon the sex, in the bedroom with them at least until the child was able to walk.

Watching John and Daniel put in the new Mahogany crib, Claire asked Cameron, "Who's your doctor?"

Cameron offered Claire a smile and said, "I am closely monitoring our child. I don't need a doctor."

"You do," Claire stated. "Besides the health of your child, the birth has to be registered. Only a doctor can do that."

"She's right, Cam. We're going to need a doctor," John agreed.

"I can have John Henry fill out the appropriate paperwork," Cameron explained.

"Your baby will need to have his footprints registered as well as the certificate of live birth that also must have the weight and vitals listed," Claire said. "You will need a doctor."

"Cam, We need to tell Mr. Watson anyway. I'm sure he can guide us to a doctor," John said.

Cameron frowned. "All right John. We'll ask him to find us one."

.

The more Cameron thought about it, the more she didn't want to go to see a doctor. The internet knew her as 'Thing One', meaning just about everyone with a computer or smart phone also knew her as Thing One. It was dangerous for her or Delilah to go out beyond the walls of their property. Colonel Watson arraigned for her to see a doctor on the air base, early in the morning. John was going with her for moral support. So was Delilah. It was right and logical that she went. She still didn't want to. The lead man behind the latest attacks had been assassinated by an unknown. When he fell dead, their last lead

to whoever was behind these attacks died with him. John Henry was working on electronic data, and was coming up empty.

The morning came. John got up at 4:30 to make sure they got there on time for their 6 AM appointment. It was only 20 minutes to the base, but he didn't want Cameron to be late. John felt strange getting up so early, He forced himself up to see Cameron lying beside him, watching him.

"John, you don't need to be up so early," Cameron told him.

"Yes, I do," he said and kissed her. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Cameron sat up with him. "I'll make you breakfast," she offered.

"No," John said. "We'll go out for breakfast after your doctor visit." He had the idea Cameron was planning to make a huge breakfast, then oops, she missed her appointment.

Cameron pouted briefly then got up. "Shower then," she said and clasped his hand.

They went in the bathroom. Following Cameron into the shower, John petted the slight bulge on her belly. Cameron put her hand over his. "Cam, you are amazing," he said softly.

They kissed and began petting. Hugging Cameron tight, John realized they'd been in the shower a while and hadn't even turned on the water yet. "We have to get clean," he said vacantly, and turned the water on. The cold water made him gasp. Cameron only frowned at him.

Delilah was already dressed and had the van out and waiting. Dressed in a chauffeur's dark pants, vest, jacket, gloves and hat, Delilah looked cute. Her hair was put up and peeking out beneath the cap she wore. John noted her mischievous grin as she 'helped' Cameron get herself together.

"You do not need to assist me," Cameron told her as Delilah handed her a pair of socks.

Beaming Cameron a smile, Delilah said, "I do! Today I am your servant, I will attend to my mistress Cameron."

John burst out laughing. Delilah was having way too much fun with her game.

Delilah shuttled around Cameron. John noted that although Delilah was obviously having a good time 'playing' servant, she was also hurrying Cameron along, preventing her from dragging her feet. They did get out the door at 5 AM, and Delilah held the back door of the van open and offered Cameron a hand in. She had John sit in the back with Cameron so she could be a proper Chauffeur.

At the gate to the airbase, Delilah announced them to the guard. A jeep was there to escort them to the hospital. Two airmen in the jeep led them to the main entrance. Delilah again opened the door for John and Cameron. She then followed one airman and the jeep to parking spots as the other airman took them inside.

Soon, they were all sitting in the waiting room. John sat bracketed by Cameron and Delilah, the Airmen sat across from them. It took a while, but one of the Airmen said, "Oh, wow, you are Thing One and Thing Two! What are you doing here?"

John motioned to Cameron's belly and said, "Making sure Thing One and a half is doing well."

The Airmen chuckled.

A nurse came in. "Cameron?" she asked.

Cameron, John and Delilah got up. The nurse held up a hand and said, "Only one person can come in with her."

Delilah sat back down and said, "Go ahead, John."

.

John had to hold a hand over his mouth as the nurse tried to get Cameron's vitals. The nurse could find no pulse and the automatic blood pressure monitor errored out. She did get a temperature, 82 degrees. Using the manual cuff on Cameron's arm, the nurse pumped it up, then tried again.

"Something seems to be wrong with my equipment," the nurse said in a musing tone. She took the whole pole mounted unit out, then brought in another one. She tried to get Cameron's vitals again and failed.

"I don't have a heart," Cameron explained.

"That's impossible," the nurse said curtly. She listened to Cameron's chest with a stethoscope. Looking perplexed, she tried a few spots. "I'll return shortly," the nurse said, and left.

John and Cameron sat in the examining room for what seemed like an hour before another woman in scrubs came in. The blond went over to Cameron and listened for a heart beat. "What is this?" she asked. "Why can't I hear your heart?"

"I don't have one," Cameron said. "I do have a hydraulic pump. It is located lower and towards my back more," she said and twisted to point to the spot.

The blond listened to where Cameron indicated. She did hear a smooth hum. "I see," she said slowly. "How did you end up with a hydraulic pump instead of a heart?"

"That is how I was built."

"You were built?" the doctor asked.

"Yes. My mechanics were made, my biological sheath was grown over it and my CPU was programmed." Cameron explained.

The blond doctor crossed her arms over her chest and regarded Cameron. "I was told I had a 'special' patient, but this is one step beyond. I understand you are pregnant?"

"I am," Cameron said.

"The nurse will come in with a hospital gown for you. I want to get a full ultrasound to find out what we're dealing with."

.

Cameron suffered through having to strip and put on the thin paper gown. The doctor came in to first do an ultrasound of her stomach, which showed Joan - the doctor did confirm the baby was a girl, then watched the screen intently as she looked at Cameron's 'very bright' bones, actuators and servo units.

"What is all this?" the Doctor asked weakly.

"My motion system consists of high strength servos and hydraulic actuators. My muscle groups are used for fine movements and exterior shaping," Cameron explained.

The doctor shook her head and whispered, "If I wasn't seeing it, I'd never believe it. And you can bear children."

"I can," Cameron said proudly.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and said, "I have no ... standard for you to determine what is normal in you and what is not. If I take a blood sample, what will I find?"

"My blood is synthetic. Micro-machines we call nanites carry nutrients and perform repairs on my systems. They are also currently feeding Joan and building up her organs and systems," Cameron explained.

"I need to study you much more than just a checkout," the Doctor said. "How many are there like you?"

"I don't know," Cameron said. "Delilah is similar, so is John Henry. We are different models."

The Doctor rubbed her forehead. With a heavy sigh, she said, "As far as I can tell, your baby is progressing fine. I see no abnormalities. You are taking vitamins and eating good, nutritious food?"

"Yes. I am also consuming the proper minerals so Joan's skeletal structure and actuators will be strong," Cameron said.

"Of course," the Doctor said vacantly. "I would like to see you again in two weeks. Mrs. Connor, at the moment I would be hard pressed to treat you if you needed help. I need to find out all I can about you for your benefit and others of your ... type, should they need it."

Cameron looked at John, then back to the Doctor. "My husband, John, had been taking care of my injuries. He repaired the wiring in my head and patched the hole in the back of my skull, as well as other repairs I needed," Cameron told her.

The Doctor looked at John and said, "I would like your phone number. If you can treat Cameron, then I am going to call you if I find others like her that need help."

"Ahh, Ok, that's fine," John said.

John wrote his phone number down and gave it to her. The doctor left her 'special' patient feeling a bit fuzzy. She recognized who it was she just saw. Before today, she had thought 'Thing One' was just a cute name, not the truth. The woman needed a mechanic as much as she needed a doctor.

.

Delilah had fun holding doors open and driving for John and Cameron. Stopping at a pancake house, Delilah did sit down and eat with them. Cameron ordered a tall stack of buttermilk pancakes with lots of syrup. Fuel to keep her nanites working hard. As of late, she was expending three times the kilowatts she normally did, and much of it was chemical energy her power cell didn't supply. That was fine, her digestive system was changing to accommodate her needs.

Cameron hadn't liked going to the doctor, but she did end up having a fun morning out with John and Delilah. After breakfast, they took a drive to plan an off-road escape route out of Palmdale and back to the LA warehouse. Going under bridges and using riverbeds, they found a route that with driving only a half mile on roads, they were able to get from one place to the other. The warehouse was just like they left it. Cameron and Delilah did some cleaning inside the house, then they headed back to Palmdale.

Exploring Palmdale more, they also found a clear run from behind their property to the edge of town and out into the wilderness. To take full advantage of this, the small 'back door' in the wall in the back of the property, they worked at making a drawbridge type steel door. Atop the hill, the ground dropped away outside the perimeter wall. It wasn't an even drop, but twelve feet of steel ramp helped even it out.

Having a project to do, Cameron and Delilah got to work. That also meant the cooking duties were taken up by Jesse. Sarah helped , but having tasted Sarah's cooking, everyone insisted on Jesse being the 'chef'. John got to drive the moving truck (now which had a reinforced box and heavier leaf springs) down to get the steel, cabling and motors for the new drawbridge gate. From the plans Cameron had drawn up, it was much more complex than he thought. Instead of a wall the was lowered down, the drawbridge gate had two main pieces that folded up in the middle. The weight of it meant concrete pylons inside the perimeter wall and gantry above, supporting and extending/retracting cables to move and unfold the gate halves to make one long ramp then it was fully down.

While John and Derek watched fork trucks load the material into the truck, John got an unexpected call.

"Hello."

"John, It's Riley. I think I found something."

"OK, what is it?"

"We were looking at a Mexican paper in Spanish class. The article was about economic development on the west coast. You said to look out for unusual things? Well they have made a big dock out over the water with a restaurant and concert area on top. There's a factory going up that has armed guards around it. The paper says the guards are to ensure no trouble with the building projects. I looked up the place on Goggle, and it doesn't

show any of that!"

"Really?" John asked, his attention peaking.

"Yes! No mention of the company involved either. It just seems suspicious to me."

"Good find, Riley. Thank you. We'll look into it, I'll let you know if it's something to be concerned about."

"Riley found something?" Derek asked, eyeing John.

"Could be. A big covert construction project in Mexico. Then again, it could be nothing," John told him. "I'm going to call Cam and had her ask John Henry to check it out."

.

Pedro strode into the concrete blockhouse where three teenagers were being held at gunpoint. The two boys and the girl stood against a wall near a metal dome on the floor. The guard with the silver strip on his shoulder glanced at Pedro and pointed to the three. "They climbed over the fence and tried to look in the windows." he said.

Pedro shook his head sadly. "Such a waste. Continue, one at a time."

The guard motion to another. That guard lifted up one side of the dome to show it covered a deep hole.

"No, wait, we're sorry, we'll never do it again!" one boy cried.

"Si, you won't," the guard said and shot him. The girl wailed out a scream.

That boy's body was tossed down the hole. The other boy bolted to run. He was shot, then dragged to the hole and tossed in.

"No! Please, I'll be your punta!" the girl cried. Cowering into a ball, she cried, "Please no!"

"Yeah? You'll do all of us?"

"Si, please don't kill me!"

"Strip your clothes off, throw them down the hole." a guard commanded.

The girl did, undressing and throwing her clothes in as fast as she could. Right after she threw her underwear in, the guard shot her in the back.

The girl fell half in the hole.

"What a waste," Pedro said sadly as she was kicked to fall rest of the way in. The dome was shut back down over the hole. Those kids would never be nosey again.

The factory made nothing but computer programs. They were advanced programs, and from what Pedro saw, equal in AI capability to anything else out there. He needed better though. All his techs did work hard. Not one family member in the basements had yet to be sacrificed. He made sure they were fairly comfortable with good food and accommodations. There was no outside communication allowed. His guard force was loyal and followed orders. Catching the teens trying to spy, this was a good test for the newest recruits. They didn't falter. he said those kids needed to die, they shot them. They teased the girl some to get a look at her, but they didn't try to keep her. Bang, dead, and down the hole.

After watching the trespassers get killed, Pedro checked on his AI's progress. The thing was able to communicate and break into a 'secure' system he'd bought to test it. It was also able to perform tactical simulations. So far, it was doing everything they wanted. Soon, he'd contact Mr. Rains and find out what the next step was.

.

The discovery in Mexico was bigger than John thought. Colonel Watson called a meeting with John, Mark, Sarah, Cameron, Mrs. Weaver, and the FBI agents and a drug enforcement task force leader. They met in a secure conference room on the Air base. Watson had a map of the North American west coastline up on the whiteboard.

"Thank you all for coming," he said in a serious tone. "As of late, a large drug running operation has operating out of Oregon. When I say large, I'm talking tons of coke as well as hundreds of tons of pot. Shiploads. Recently there was a bust that was worth half a billion dollars street value. No one knew how that much was getting in the country. Completely by accident, someone called in a submarine unloading at an inlet at night. By the time anyone could get there, the sub was gone. This wasn't a usual drug running sub that moved just under the surface. This was a real military style submarine. Our biggest question is, where did it come from."

Pointing to a spot on the Mexican coastline, he said, "Right here at San Pueblo, there had been a large amount of construction. A new factory went up, but nothing is coming out of it. At the shore, a large pier has been built with buildings on it. A team has been watching this place. The only thing going and coming has been tourists, it seems. They come with full bags, and leave with empty ones. This pier is the only thing large enough to hide a submarine under it on the entire coast. It loads up there, then travels to Oregon to unload. There is no need for a factory with high security unless many of the drugs are being made there. Security wise, this place is fortified. We know of a few people who tried to sneak in. They disappeared."

Colonel Watson cast his gaze over the group. "The Mexican government claims there is no drugs at this place. That means we must stop it. The drug task force is ready looking for this sub to return. Seeing this may well be a military or ex-military sub, they will sink it if the crew doesn't surrender. We are going to assist by getting in that factory. This will be a covert operation, it will never officially happen. We want the incursion teams to act the same time as when that sub is caught. Sooner, and the sub might not appear to unload. Later, and those in that factory will be warned and escape. The Navy will be assisting, as a few of the civilian members here. When the sub appears in Oregon, the strike team will go in under this pier and begin operations. The Commander in charge on the navy vessel will coordinate that attack on the factory. Each unit involved will be given details by their commander. We expect this operation to happen in five months. The reason for the delay is to study the sub's movements and the daily movements at that factory. Any questions?"

Colonel Watson waited a moment, then said, "Mrs. Weaver will be the communications and electronics Commander. Special Agent Aldridge will be the Oregon Commander. The Navy Commander who has yet to be assigned will handle the sea born assault at San Pueblo, John Connor will be the land based Commander at San Pueblo. Mrs. Weaver?"

Catherine got up and said, "There have been thefts of advanced computer gear and AI programs from Universities. A ping we picked up from one of the stolen devices gave us the GPS location where it was taken. San Pueblo. Whoever is there is trying to duplicate Sky Net. We cannot let that happen. That factory must be taken with records intact so we can trace who is funding this operation. This area is also highly dependent on the income from the drugs they move. That means these people are going to fight fiercely to keep it. Do not fool yourselves, they will be armed with everything they can get their hands on. It will not be easy, the assault teams must be heavily armed if they are to succeed."

"Let's go prepare, people," Colonel Watson said.

After the meeting John caught Colonel Watson before he left. "Colonel? I'm going to need to raid that depot in the desert again."

"Yes, you are," Watson agreed. "By the end of the week, there will be a few additions we will happen to 'store' there that will be very useful to you. Remember, once you cross the border, you're on your own, there will be no backup, so ensure you take all the supplies and assets you think you'll need."

John nodded firmly. He also wondered about Cameron. Five months sounded like a long time. Cameron would also be very pregnant by then.

Meeting in the van outside, John noted concern on Cameron's face. "You aren't going," he told her.

"John, you will need me," Cameron replied.

"Our baby needs you to stay healthy," John countered. "Joan also needs to be born in the US to have citizenship. We'll figure it out, and you are staying home."

"John's right, Cam," Delilah said. "Don't worry, I'll watch out for John. You watch out for your baby."

Cameron stared at nothing. She knew what John and Delilah said was right, but John was going to be in danger, and she wasn't going to be there. That was unacceptable. So was doing anything to endanger their child. Cameron wanted to scream at the conflict of interests churning inside her.

.

Working on the back drawbridge / gate project, Cameron plotted the time left until Joan was born. 'Five months' was Watson's estimate of when the attack was going to happen. It was also when Cameron was due to deliver. It was going to be close.

As Sunday came around, Claire came as usual for the patio party and to talk with Cameron. As always, Claire was happy to sit and talk about getting ready for the birth. Claire had brought a couple catalogs with her showing maternity wear that Cameron was going to need very soon.

Cameron listened, but had her mind on her primary concern. "Is there any armored maternity wear?" Cameron asked.

Claire eyed her and said, "Why would you need something like that?"

Cameron knew she shouldn't say anything, but she felt like she was going to overload from the stress. "I can't say when, but we are going to a … place that is hazardous. John said I can't go, but I must! I can't let him go without me, I need to protect him."

"How hazardous are we talking about? Someone might shoot you?" Claire asked.

"Most likely. "I'll be shooting a canon and probably a machine gun too. That is if I can convince John to let me go, like I should be doing."

"Absolutely not!" Claire cried automatically. "Cameron, you cannot endanger your baby like that! MY GOD!, you're talking going to war again, aren't you?"

"That is my main function, to terminate the enemy," Cameron stated in a flat tone.

"Not when you're carrying a child!" Claire cried in exasperation. "Dear, you cannot risk your child's life! This child is a product of your and John's love, it is your legacy. I know John doesn't want you to endanger Joan, neither do you. Hon, please forget about going. No one, especially yourself, will forgive you if something happens to that baby."

Cameron looked over at Allison. Yes, she'd already taken one innocent life, and she didn't think John would forgive her if their baby got killed. Sitting in an unarmored part of her anatomy, it was very vulnerable. "I know, I can't risk John either." Cameron said in a near sob. "I feel … useless."

"No, you are not useless!" Claire said firmly and hugged her. "You poor dear, you are not useless! You're going to be a mother. You are going to raise your child in a loving home to be strong and smart. That is in no way useless. I am very sorry you are having trouble accepting you have to stay behind, but that is what is best for you, John and Joan. Don't be so upset, maybe things will change and your family won't have to go."

"We will. I know we will," Cameron said in a toneless voice. "If something happens to John, will you do something for me?"

"What dear?"

"John has a locket around his neck I gave him. Inside is a button,' Cameron said. "After Joan is born, push that button then take care of Joan for me."

"What? What does that button do?" Claire asked, watching her closely.

"Just promise you will do that for me," Cameron asked.

"Cameron, what does that button do?" Claire asked again.

Looking lost, Cameron said, "I went bad and tried to kill John once. After that happened, I put an explosive charge in my head so if I tried to hurt John again, he could stop me."

Claire's eyes widened, "There a bomb in your head?" she cried.

"Yes, so I won't hurt John. It's not big, but enough to terminate me. If John dies, I don't want to live any more."

Claire was ready to burst out crying. Holding herself together, tears still leaked down her cheeks. "Dear, how can I kill you?"

Vacantly, Cameron said, "It would only be right that you do it. After all, I did kill Allison in the future. It's only right that you get to kill me."

"No!" Claire snapped. In Cameron's current state of mind, Claire was sure she was saying that to get her to agree to push that button. For all the emotions Cameron showed, there was no way Claire believed her daughter died when Cameron came to be. She might be a machine now, but she was showing there was still some humanity left in her, which meant her daughter had not died. "I will do anything to support you, Cameron. I will not kill you. John is smart and Delilah will be there with him. I've seen some of what Delilah can do, I highly doubt she would let him die, so stop thinking like that! John is not going to die and you are going to protect your baby for yourself and him."

Cameron looked up to see the tears on Claire's face. "I'm sorry I made you cry," she offered.

"No, don't be." Claire said and offered her a smile. "I can see you are in pain. I don't mind sharing that pain with you. That is what family does."

"Share pain as well as pleasure," Cameron said as if just understanding the concept. "Thank you for explaining."

"You are still learning," Claire concluded.

Cameron nodded and said, "I am. John has showed me so much yet there are still things I don't know."

"Here's something else to know," Claire said gently. "Things change. Right now you are looking at what you see as a very hard choice. It is quite possible that something is going to change before you must make that choice, so don't dwell on it. Worry about it when the time comes. It's called crossing that bridge when we come to it."

Cameron nodded slowly and said, "Yes, plans change. Claire, if Joan is born before we have to go, will you take care of her for me?"

"It would be my pleasure," Claire assured her. They hugged again. Claire was happy to be able to do something for her daughter from the future.

.

Two weeks later, a tractor and flatbed trailer arrived with a large covered object on it. With the truck stopped on front of the house, They pulled the cover off to see the modified EV 2.

It looked bad-ass. Sitting on tracks, the mottled green vehicle was streamlined and sleek. The front portion was cab with gull wing doors. The long slit windows were tinted, but instead of glass, the windows were made of thick, hardened clear aluminum and tilted at a sharp angle like the rest of the body. In the back was a low, rounded turret with a hole for a gun to poke out of.

"That is cool" John said with a wide grin as he looked up at it.

"Awesome," Derek agreed. "Can't wait to take it for a ride."

"How thick is the armor?" Jesse asked.

Cameron explained, "The armor is four inches thick, but weighs the same as two inches of steel, and has the strength of eight inches, and has ten times the heat resistance. This armor angled as sharply as it is will absorb a plasma bolt and deflect a 120 MM shell. Below the turret is the 600 horsepower engine with a turbo-boost, and in the back is a compartment with spare set of tracks in case one is lost. Automatic transmission and hydraulic brake steering makes it drive like a car. Top speed over even ground is 57 MPH. Flat out on a smooth road surface, 65 MPH. The turret will take up to a 20MM chain fed automatic gun. It seats four, the turret is controlled by the right rear seat. Front left is the driver's seat, the right front seat is the GPS map monitor and sensor array, which does include infrared. Left rear seat is open, but can be a commander's position. Between the rear seats is the access to the turret. "

Mark laughed and said, "Road trip!"

Cameron drove it down off the flat bed. They checked it over, filled up the 140 gallon tank and drew straws to see who got to take the first ride in it.

.

The next Sunday came and the drawbridge style gate was finished. Both the dozer and the EV 2 were in the back yard, set to go out to the army depot. When Daniel and Claire arrived, Cameron and Delilah were putting the new armored plates on the dozer, Derek, John and Mark were moving material with a front loader to assist.

Coming into the back, Daniel eyed the EV 2. Waking to beside Sarah and Jesse who were watching, he asked, "What is that? It looks like a tank."

"It is. Fast as hell too," Sarah said with a smirk. "It just flies over the ground. Friday I jumped a small hill, it bounced 20 feet in the air before it came down. The shocks on that are really awesome. It'll climb anything and just mows over small trees."

"You have another tank?" Claire asked. It then hit her. "You are really going to war."

"Something we have to do," Jesse said. "These things will give us a better chance. A canon on the dozer and a chain gun up in the turret of the EV 2, we should be able to take care of whatever stands against us."

"That dozer thing isn't very fast though, is it?" Daniel asked.

"It is after Cameron got done with it. It's not pretty, but it does move along pretty good. With that new armor for it, I'm sure it will take a good heavy pounding too," Sarah explained.

The new composite foam armor like the EV2 had was now on the dozer. Taking a break for lunch, they all went over to the table for hot dogs sausage, and a couple salads Jesse had made. Claire noted that Cameron was showing now. It looked like she had a small pot belly.

"My, Joan is growing fast. This is what, your fourth month?" Claire asked.

"Two and a half," Cameron told her. "Joan is growing faster than a human baby would. I am hoping I will deliver before we are ordered to move."

Claire almost said 'I hope so too'. She didn't hope so. She wanted Cameron here, still pregnant, and safe.

With both tanks sitting in the back yard, the mood was a little more somber than usual. Cameron took Claire up to show her the new maternity outfits she'd gotten, Including the light purple one that read THING 1 on the chest and THING 1.1 on the belly.

"This one's only for around the house," Cameron explained.

"One point one?" Claire asked with a grin.

"Yes, first child, Joan. My second will be Thing One point Two."

"Only you, Cameron."

"Delilah wants Thing Two point One," Cameron said. "John told us no more than one a year between us."

"That sounds reasonable." Claire ventured.

"It is, to be sure each child gets the proper care and attention they need when they are very young," Cameron explained. "We computed that we are capable of having three a year each. John told us, Please no."

That made Claire laugh. Six babies would driver her crazy. "I agree with John. Remember that babies grow up, that is a lot of kids to have running around the house."

"We'd be baby-making machines," Cameron said with a grin.

Claire caught the dual meaning to what she said and laughed harder.

.

Emilio met Pedro at the pier restaurant in a private air conditioned ocean view room. Sipping expensive wine and having their meals on gold trimmed plates.

Pedro lifted his goblet to Emilio and said, "We are doing well, Yes? And everyone is happy."

"We are doing well, my friend, but I received some disturbing news," Emilio told him. "It seems Feds have raided one of out warehouses. They have also been seen sniffing around the drop point."

"You are having it moved, no?" Pedro asked.

"Si. This next shipment will go to Northern California. My boys are looking for a good cliff side pickup point. The unload will take longer, but not very visible. Boats go out and collect the goods, then they get hauled up the cliff and the boats return to dock. What worries me is of we have an agent pretending to be one of us. We have been very careful, the Feds should no nothing."

"Emilio, no one uses cell phones, do they?" Pedro asked. "Those can be listened in on."

"If the Feds know what to listen for, and who to listen to."

Pedro shook his head, "No, too dangerous. Courier or mail only," he said evenly. "It will be very bad news if the Feds find out where we are."

"How will they know?" Emilio asked. "We have everything hidden. No one can track that sub back here. We have no caravans, no product moves on the ground. There is nothing showing to hint what our business is."

Casting Emilio an even look, Pedro said, "Listen, my friend. The man I replaced had a well hidden facility up in the mountains. Built like a fort it was! Two hundred guards who were pros. One night they got hit hard with artillery, the place was destroyed. Nearly everyone was killed. Whoever found them had no mercy. We need to be very careful."

"You have guns, yes?"

"And RPG's, mines, and a constant watch a kilometer out in every direction," Pedro agreed. "That may not be enough if we are found."

"Did the American army attack that place? They cannot attack here, this is Mexico."

"My boss says it wasn't the army, but two people who have their own army. This army does not take prisoners. We have three hundred guards and another hundred walking around looking for who might not belong. We even have helicopters. Unfortunately, we do not have canons or strong mortars. Be very careful, we cannot be found."

"Pedro, we won't be found!" Emilio stated. "No Americans come here. I agree we must be careful, but you my friend are paranoid. Tonight, grab a punta or two and go relax. You are too wound up."

"I just know the danger," Pedro countered.

.

The trip to the Army depot went smoothly. Even during mid day, the half mile of road they had to travel on was all but vacant. Sarah drove the EV2, John drove the dozer. Derek drove the jeep behind them.

Pulling up to the depot, they noticed someone had been here. Sitting to the side of the half round building was a gasoline tanker. Derek checked it, it was full. Inside, more equipment had been added. Four crates of stinger anti-aircraft missiles, a pair of 50 cal mini guns, three crates of C-4, and another of detonators, a robot 30 cal machine gun, night vision goggles, 50 cal sniper rifles with silencers and night scopes. Radios and a many crates of 50 cal ammo. There were also crates that had personal armor, MRE's and first aide kits.

"Wow, we can start a war with all this stuff," Mark noted.

Cameron looked at the turret on the EV2 and said, "Delilah, help be get this mini gun mounted."

"We're going to need a wagon to help carry all this stuff," John noted.

"There's one back here," Derek said, pointing to a large two wheeled Army cart.

John looked at a map that was folded up on one of the crates. He unfolded it to show a long tunnel from ten miles inside southern California down to fifteen miles inside of Mexico. Two pictures showed the entrances. On the US end, the entrance was inside a cave. On the Mexican end, it came out inside an old church tucked between some hills.

"We got our highway route across the border," he said. By the size of the cave, it was a highway too, it had to be 20 feet wide. He wondered how often it was used.

They worked the rest of the day at getting ready to go. The wagon's hitch was a thick ring that fit perfectly on the dozer. John and Derek got that hitched up, and loaded on ammunition and supplies. Jesse found a couple drones with controls and the control units.

By the time Cameron and Delilah had the mini gun mounted and set up to fire, the wagon was getting full. There was room in the EV2 for a couple first aide kits, some food and the night vision goggles. The dozer had the addition of a couple armored jackets due to the view slits.

Cameron happily noted that the three inch mortar rounds fit perfectly in the dozer's launch barrel. She'd have to modify the breech, but at least she didn't have to make ammunition.

Discussing tactics, it was decided they would leave to hit the tunnel in the late afternoon, then come out after night had fallen. Travel at night and use the camo covers over the vehicles and rest in the daytime to get close. Once they were a couple miles away, they would send out Delilah. Derek and Jesse to scout ahead and find lookout positions. John wanted it to be a complete surprise when they got in position to fire.

When they left the next late afternoon, the EV2 sported a pair of mortars on each side, which also helped attach the extra barrels of fuel onto the back. There was still more work to do. They parked everything inside and put a good high security lock on the doors before they left.


	24. Chapter 24

CH 24

The waiting was the worst. John swore the government people were taking their time searching for that sub. While they waited, they finished off the modifications to their vehicles.

Cameron's stomach was getting larger and she walked a little funny now, carrying weight in front of her. She also seemed to get irritated quicker now and over silly things. One moment, she didn't want to be touched. Not five minutes later, she accused John of 'not loving her any more' because he didn't rub her back. Part of the day she was happy, then would shift to a blank terminator face. She'd love her chocolate ice cream and grapefruit juice, then reject it for 'something good'.

Cameron insisted she didn't have hormones, but John swore otherwise.

The doctor tried to guess at when Cameron was due by Joan's growth. Her best guess was Cameron's own claim of a total of six months. Another two weeks to go.

While everyone was dealing with the pregnant, moody terminator, John got the call. They were to be in place at San Pueblo in ten days. Knowing Cameron's fast mood shifts, he was afraid to tell her. Thankfully, while he was getting up the nerve to do so, Cameron announced, "It's time! I'm having my baby!"

Delilah walked with Cameron out to the Jeep. John raced to get at the front door and waiting. Cameron wanted to ride in the van, so John retrieved it. Sarah called the hospital to let them know they were on their way.

With Cameron lying in the second seat, Delilah beside her, John drove to the hospital.

"John, hurry," Cameron cried weakly. "She wants to come out now!"

"Don't hold back," Delilah told her. "I'll catch her." She stripped Cameron from the waist down.

In the front seat by John, Sarah hung up with Claire and called the hospital again. "Yes, Cameron is having her baby in the car right now … we'll be there in five minutes, but she's not going to wait that long! … all right, I'll tell them." Sarah then announced, "An ambulance will meet us at the gate. They will be prepared to take care of Cameron and Joan."

John looked back in the rear view mirror. "We're almost there!" he called.

Looking between Cameron's legs, Delilah said, "I can see her head! Here she comes!"

Sweating from the strain, John cried, "It wasn't suppose to be like this! There was like ZERO warning!"

Cameron let out a short laugh, Joan cried.

"Ohhh look at her," Delilah said happily. She handed the bloody baby to Cameron, who sat up and held her baby close.

"John, we did it!" Cameron said happily.

John pulled up at the lot by the gate behind the ambulance. The medics had brought things to clean baby Joan and mother up, as well as a maternity robe for Cameron. They wanted to take Cameron out on a stretcher. Cameron gave Joan, now wrapped in a warm blanket, to John, got up and walked into the ambulance. Once she was in place on the gurney in the ambulance, John got in and gave Cameron her baby back.

"She's beautiful, hon," John said. He kissed Cameron deeply.

"I want one too," Delilah said, gazing at Joan. Joan's eyes were open as she watched the new world around her.

Joan's birth was registered and the doctor looked over baby and mother, then filed the paperwork. In the emergency room cubicle, Cameron gripped John's hand and said, "I'm going with you. Claire said she'd take care of Joan for us."

"That's fine, hon," John replied. "We have ten days to get there and be in place."

.

Claire was happy that Joan was born with no problems. She was surprised when Cameron walked out of the hospital carrying Joan. Walking with them, she asked, "Cameron, don't you need some recovery time?"

"I'm fine," Cameron told her. We have to leave tonight, so can you take care of Joan for me?"

Claire nearly tripped. "You … you're going already?" she asked in a squeak.

"Yes, it was like you said," Cameron said and offered her a smile. "Things worked out. I was able to have Joan before we had to leave, so now I can go help John."

"Daniel, Claire?" John said, "We appreciate you watching Joan for us. Feel free to use the house whenever you like. We're not sure when we'll be back."

"I brought some baby supplies, they are in the van, I'll get them," Delilah said. She hurried off to do so.

"Can we see you off?" Claire asked.

"You are," Cameron replied. "We have to leave."

"You're not even going home?"

"We're pressed for time," Cameron explained.

Delilah came over to the Young's car with a baby seat, and a big bag of baby supplies. Claire was shocked that Cameron was going literally straight from delivering a baby to the battlefield. After they got both babies in their car seats and set, Claire hugged Cameron. "Be sure you come back," she said firmly.

"We will," Cameron said firmly.

Daniel and Claire got in the car and watched them all pile in the jeep and their van.

"God, go with them," Claire said reverently.

"Yeah," Daniel agreed.

.

Driving out to the army depot packed in the jeep due to the fact the van wasn't able to make the trip, they pulled their vehicles out and put the Jeep in. The dozer was a two person vehicle, John and Cameron. The EV2 held five, Sarah, Derek, Jesse, Mark and Delilah up on the turret. With their supplies, both vehicles were packed. Once they made sure they had everything, including the water purification unit packed up, they headed out, the EV 2 in front, the dozer behind it towing the cart packed with supplies.

It was dark by the time they got to the tunnel entrance. The bright lights of the EV 2 showed the entrance had a thick steel grating over it. John gave Cameron the key to the huge lock. Once Sarah and John drove in, Cameron shut the gate and relocked it, and they were on their way.

Traveling at 45 miles an hour, they passed through the long tunnel quickly. Upon coming to the slope up, Sarah scrutinized the wooden doors ahead. Again, Cameron got out and unlocked the doors to pull them open. Sarah drove out to look in the rear view camera and see they had just come out of the front of a church. Rather, what looked like a church. Once both vehicles were out, Cameron relocked the doors and they continued on their way.

Where they came out there were plenty of hills. Standing atop of the turret, Delilah helped Sarah pick the best places to travel between the hills. It was a good thing both vehicles were tracked, they had to climb some steep hills and plow through brush. Their speed was reduced to an average of 30 miles an hour, as well as winding, but they made their way 100 miles south before the sky lightened into pre-dawn.

Stopping for the day in a bowl between three hills, They got the camo cover up. Cameron and Delilah took sniper rifles and scouted out the area. They were in the middle of nowhere. Not a building or road in sight. John scrutinized the map and got their GPS location. They had another 570 winding miles to go to get to where they needed to be. Plenty of time as long as they kept up the good progress.

.

Colonel Watson got a call about another University reporting stolen equipment. Someone had broken in and stolen everything out of a robotics lab. The theft was just north of Sacramento. The good news he got with that was the Navy had detected an unknown submarine near the coast, and were tracking it. The sea force had also left port for San Pueblo. It was an attack submarine with SEALS on board. The operation was now in full swing.

.

Claire found baby Joan to be a delight. With her fuzzy auburn hair and her bright brown eyes that she studied everything around her with. Joan didn't cry much. Usually, it was Allison who started crying, then Joan would cry with her. Allison would giggle and make bay noises, Joan watched her, then copied her noises. One of the things in Joan's bag were a dozen pre-made bottles of milk. Claire was sure this was Cameron's breast milk. Claire made sure Joan's bottles stayed separate.

Claire noted odd things about Joan. She didn't eat very much, about a third of a bottle at a time, and she hardly wet herself. Once, when she was burping Allison, Joan initiated her own crying. Claire looked at her to see her eyes had turned red. Not the whites, but she had red glowing irises as she held her arms up to be picked up. As soon as Claire reached for her, Joan's eyes returned to their light brown. Claire briefly thought ' devil baby'. She rethought that as letting out a giggle, Joan's eyes flashed blue. Could Cameron do that? The moment they returned, Claire had a host of questions for Cameron.

The baby ring Claire gave to Joan didn't last long. Joan eyed it, then sucked on it. With a cry of "Ga!" and a jerk of her little arms, Joan tore it in half, then giggled and her eyes flashed blue. Note to self, do not let that baby grab your finger.

Yes, Claire had a host of questions for Cameron.

.

Five days into their journey, John saw they were getting close. 30 miles away, they slowed and began sending out scouts before the vehicles moved closer. So far, they stayed inland and approached San Pueblo from the east. Creeping up on the area, Derek found four armed men walking in the distance on day six. They were still ten miles from the coast. There was no doubt this was a patrol. Delilah and Cameron went out and followed the patrol a few miles. By the fact they were using binoculars, these men were searching for whoever might be around.

John knew they had to modify their strategy. Instead of trying to get closer, he had Cameron , Jesse and Derek go on foot to plot a fast path to this factory.

Returning the next night, Derek and Jesse plopped down by the small sterno fire and poured themselves cups of coffee. Cameron sat down by John.

"They have laid land mines," Cameron stated. "Random patrols are out to ten miles, a half mile out is a picket of men. In front of those men are mines. They also have two truck mounted machine guns we saw behind the picket, and one semi-permanent camp. We dug up the mines we could, and I noted where others are in our path."

"They are heavily guarded," John concluded. "See anything bigger than a machine gun?"

"No. At least one man in each patrol has a radio, so do various men at the picket line," Cameron explained. "We need snipers to lead and take out the patrols as we go. Radioman first."

John nodded. "Dare we send a drone in?" he asked.

"Only when we get close," Derek said. "It will probably get shot down, but we'll be able to see the close in defenses. We better take all the ammo we can carry. This is going to be a big firefight."

John frowned then said, "OK, when we go, Derek and Mark lead with the sniper rifles. We get as close as we can as quietly as we can. Once they know we're here, we shoot off mortars to make a hole in them, then charge in fast. Hopefully most of their men are out in the perimeter. We leave the supply cart here. If that gets hit, it's going to be a big bang."

"John, the thirty cal on the front of the dozer still can only be loaded with 1500 rounds. You'll have to conserve ammo," Cameron told him.

"I know. When we go, the dozer will lead. Mom, follow Cameron's tracks, a mine will track you. We need both vehicles to get to that factory."

"I'll be dead on them," Sarah promised.

"Delilah, we're going to need your canons," John told her.

"They're yours," Delilah said with a grin.

"Lucky guy," Mark said quietly. Sarah still heard him and jabbed him with an elbow.

Makr eyed her and asked, "What? She's got great firepower."

John was glad Delilah had her canons. They were gong to need them.

.

Watson was planning for the sub to go farther north before it unloaded. When it stopped by a cliff face in Northern California, it pushed his time table up by two days, and his Oregon force just became useless. Not wanting to let the sub get away, he ordered it destroyed.

On the dawn of day 7, the USS Virginia sat 2000 yards off the target. Waiting until the small boats were congregated around the sub, loading up, the Captain ordered, "Fire tube one."

.

Hector was operating the sonar, listening for ships. With the small boats around them making noise, he didn't think he'd hear anything much farther away. Suddenly he picked up a dull thud sound in the water, followed by a whine that sounded like a model airplane.

"Hey, El Capitan! Who's off to our port side?" he asked in a yell.

"There's no one out there, all the boats are on the starboard side. Why?"

"We got something coming at us fast … and now I hear active sonar, fast pings, listen," Hector called and flipped on the bridge speaker.

"That's a torpedo!" The Captain cried. His last words.

The explosion lifted the sub up and bent it in the middle as the small boats and crew went flying in the air. The secondary blast from water refilling the large space the explosion made, broken the sub in half. The sub slipped under the waves in halves, leaving nothing but debris and corpses floating on the water.

.

"Seagull to JC, attack."

John got the radio call as they were topping off their fuel tanks. "We got the word to move, mount up, let's go!" he called.

Mark and Derek ran to the sides and topped the next hill to scope out the terrain. John drove up behind them slow, followed by Sarah. Traveling only a few hundred yards, Derek called for them to stop. He and Mark coordinated. A few shots were fired. Derek gave the all clear and moved on. Sitting on the turret of the EV 2, Delilah also kept a sharp watch out to the sides. They passed though some hills at a walking speed. A four wheel drive drove towards them. Seeing it, Delilah aimed a plasma canon and shot. The vehicle had time to stop, then the plasma bolt hit the engine, blowing the front of the vehicle up. One man crawled out of the back, Derek got him. Going around the burning wreck, they moved on.

Five miles out, Cameron made a turn up onto a hillside. "Mines on the valley floor, follow me," she told Sarah. Sarah followed.

Three miles out, the hills became lower and fewer. The land was all but flat after the last hill Mark and Derek scouted from. Mark came back to the dozer. "John, we got flat land ahead. We can see some of the picket three thousand yards out. If they got eyes, they'll see us if we go over this ridge up here."

John nodded. "Get the best range you can, we'll feed them some mortars. You'll be our rangefinders."

Mark ran back to the ridge.

Cameron loaded up and got ready to shoot. Delilah and Jesse manned the mortars on the EV 2

"Cameron, ready."

"Jesse ready"

Delilah ready."

Mark's voice came on. "OK, best estimated range, 3000 yards, relative bearing straight ahead. Shoot on the following order, Cameron, Delilah, Jesse. Shoot."

Mark heard the thumps of the mortars. Watching through his scope he saw the first one land beyond the men. The second did also , the third landed right between to of the startled men.

"Cameron, long by 100 yards and move three degrees left. Delilah, long by 100 yards, and move three degrees right, Jesse, dead on, move one degree right." He waited a moment then said, "Shoot!"

The men were running to their fallen comrades and looking back at the factory when the next set of mortars hit. Cameron hit directly behind them, blowing one man towards them. The other two hit just in front of the men. Thos who weren't hit dropped to hug the ground.

"Everyone I see is on the ground," Mark said.

"Same here," Derek reported.

"Everyone, back in the vehicles," John ordered. As soon as the two ran down and jumped up in the EV 2, he said, "Mom, let's go."

The dozer roared as John poured on the gas. They went over the ridge and Cameron called out directions as they raced forward. In the right front seat of the EV 2, Jesse moved the turret, scanning for targets. She saw a few men get up. Timing the bounces of their vehicle, she let loose with a burst from the mini gun. A cloud of suddenly blew up from where the men were. It settled, and the men were all back on the ground.

Cameron was tempted to shoot, but she had to keep a sharp eye out in front of her. "John, left five …. Straight, right ten … run straight at the building … left ten…"

Bullet started whizzing by. A few pinged off the armor. Behind her the mini gun let out another ear piercing whine to rip into the ground. Cameron blindly fired a shot as she watched for the presence of mines. She didn't see where it hit, but it was almost to the limit of view.

The mines thinned out. Cameron took this opportunity to grab the M-14 and shoulder it. Seeing a lone mine, she shot it. A vehicle came into view in the distance. She let loose with a long burst. The vehicle turned and rolled over.

Charging the men on the ground, those who were still alive shot back. Cameron fired more single rounds, killing each one with a shot. Jesse ripped the ground up with her mini gun. Delilah fired plasma bolts one after the other, turning live men into burning corpses.

Coming to where there were now dead men on the ground, They moved their fire to the sides where more men were shooting at them. Cameron ducked down to reload, then popped back up to see a pickup truck approaching. The man standing in the back firing his machine gun. Jesse got him first, ripping the truck apart with the mini gun.

Blowing through the line, Delilah shot more plasma bolts to the sides. Cameron scanned ahead and announced, "There is a defense ditch 600 yards ahead. Barbed wire, men taking position to shoot."

"Jesse, keep their heads down, Cam, throw some rounds into them," John said and aimed his machine gun.

Delilah turned to aim at the trench also. Cameron's shot landed just on this side, blowing a hole in the barbed wire. The men who rose up to aim were cut apart with the mini gun, machine gun bullets and plasma bolts. Those who survived the onslaught dropped down and covered their heads. Many of them ran hunched over to get out of the way of the two charging behemoths spitting fire.

.

Pedro was in the main computer lab when he heard the far off gunfire. He ran out to find his Lt. running towards him. The man was wide eyed as he said, "We got a pair of tanks coming from the east! They are blowing right through our outer lines!"

"Set up the explosives, slow them down!" Pedro demanded.

This was it, Pedro knew. There was no way his men were going to fight off tanks. He yelled at the techs to get all their programs and memory devices out and together. The sub wasn't due back for another week,. He had to hole up in the restaurant until it arrived. Pistol out, he pushed his techs to hurry. Once they had everything pulled, he guided them to the tunnel to the docks. He got them inside and running for the other end, then blew the tunnel entrance.

.

Cameron drove right up to 50 yards from the factory wall and began shooting mortars into the building. The first couple rounds blew a large hole. She fired more into the hole, then had John back up and turn left to shoot more off to make the hole bigger. People inside were running away. She aimed ahead of them to hit a wall right above the door.

An explosion blossomed out against the side of the dozer. With the fire and shrapnel, bits of Cameron's flesh and hair flew. At the corner of the building an armored car sat, the shooter standing in the back holding his rocket launcher. Mini gun fire ripped into the car to punch holes in it. A plasma bolt then went through the steel plates over the windshield. The car exploded.

Looking in through the hole in the building, Cameron saw what looked like a reinforced door. She shot it. The explosion blew back much harder, signaling she'd set something off. She ducked inside her hatch. When the falling debris stopped raining down, she saw the upper floor had come down. The hole before her was huge, a good portion of wall had collapsed. John saw this too. He also saw blood splotches and corpses. There was no one left alive in there.

"Sarah, drive around the left side, We'll go right. Meet us in the front of the building," John ordered.

John turned the dozer and drove around the right side past the remains of the burning armored car. The men he saw outside the building dropped their guns and ran.

Coming around to the front, the only people they saw were a few more running for their lives. John called on the radio, "Bracket the doors, pointing away from the building. Jesse and I will keep watch. Cam, Delilah, Derek, Mark, go in and find the computer rooms. Look for hard drives and memory modules. What you can't bring out, destroy."

.

Pedro herded his techs down the tunnel. At the end of the trunnel a line of men with automatic weapons called for them to halt. Pedro used his techs for cover and shot. The men shot back. Four techs fell dead, the rest dropped to the floor. Pedro was slammed back to the floor by the rain of bullets. His corpse bled from dozens of holes.

.

Inside the sagging building that had small fires burning here and there, Delilah found the computer room by bashing down the locked door. She and Cameron went in. They found the tunnel entrance was caved in. Smashing apart computers, they took the hard drives and any disk drives they could find.

"You look like you need a few face," Delilah said with a grin.

"Feels like it too," Cameron said. When the RPG hit the side of the dozer, it didn't breach the armor. It did rip all the flesh off her right upper arm and shoulder as well as most of the right side of her face and scalp off. "You're trickling some also," she said, noting the bullet holes peppering Delilah.

"We just won't be pretty for a while," Delilah said with a shrug.

Using a couple waste paper baskets, they tossed the hard drives and disk drives in and carried them out.

.

Outside, John watched a pair of police cars come from the town. As soon as they got close enough to see the tanks, they turned around and went back. Smart move, John thought. He wasn't sure how to deal with them if they decided to confront him. He did realize something more would be coming, like the Mexican army. "Cam, Delilah, let's go, we have to leave." he called on the radio.

Another vice came on. "JC, sea has the dock secured. How goes the land?"

"Factory taken. Retrieving drives, then we're outta here, got eyeballed by police."

"JC, mission complete. Disburse!"

Cameron climbed in. "We got everything left."

"Mom, everyone on?"

"Yes John, let's go."

"Follow Cameron. Let' go!" John announced and drove back around the building.

On the way out, Cameron reminded Sarah to follow her tracks. Out past the mine fields they picked up speed and raced back to their camp. Under cover, they parked and spent the rest of the day refilling fuel tanks and loading ammunition.

Once a helicopter flew high overhead. John watched it, it didn't come close or return to investigate. They took some rest time until nightfall. Once it got dark Cameron led the way back, Delilah drove the EV 2. Using infrared, they drove dark, no lights. No longer concerned about audible stealth, they also drove faster.

The first night of the return trip, they made 240 miles. Stopping in a bowl between two hills, they covered the vehicles with camo. Cameron and Delilah took the day watch while everyone else got some sleep. The next night was better, making 350 miles. One more day of rest, and the third night, they would be back through the tunnel and home free.

.

Emilio was beside himself. The raid was fast and brutal. Men escaping the carnage reported tanks had attacked. Sitting a few down who'd seen the tanks, he asked, "Who's tanks were they?"

One dirty man shrugged and said, "We don't know. There were no markings on them. They were fast, they were upon us and blowing the building up before we knew it! They butchered the outer defenses, and the RPG our men got off didn't do anything but leave a black mark on the side of the one that was hit."

"What kind were they? American M-1's? What?" Emilio asked.

"They were strange, we've never seen anything like them," A man with his face scratched up said. "One looked … old, the other was more futuristic. They were nothing like our army has. They also weren't American either."

"Did any of you see which way they went when they left?" Emilio asked.

"We were running, we didn't look back."

Thankfully, Emilio's helicopters were out collecting drugs, neither was here during that raid. Tanks left tracks. He'd have his helicopters armed and follow those tracks. They would then find those tanks and drop explosives down on them. They were going to pay for what they did!

.

Late in the afternoon of the third day, John and his group were only 150 miles from the church. Rousted up to get ready to move, Jesse got food out as John, Derek and Mark refilled the fuel tanks.. They had cut it close with fuel, there was only a half a barrel of gasoline left. They were able to make it back on the full tanks they had, so they left the barrel.

Watching to the south, Cameron noted helicopters coming. Watching them for a few minutes She noticed the helicopters were following the same path they had taken the night before. "Helicopters coming, they are following our trail!' she yelled.

"How far?" Sarah yelled back.

"Half mile and closing, Mount up, we need to defend, and shut your hatches!' Cameron yelled, then took aim on the lead helicopter.

The helicopters dropped low and split to the sides. Cameron shot a couple short bursts from her M-14. She didn't appear to have hit it. "They broke off to the sides!' she called.

John yelled, "Jesse, man the mimi gun, Delilah, take high ground, find them, Mom, Mark, Derek, mount up!" John then looked at the dozer. He wasn't sure what he could do with the 30 cal mounted on the front, but he jumped into his seat and watched the sky he could see.

The rotor noise became much louder quickly. Cameron saw one appear to her right. She whipped around and opened fire in full auto. A man was leading out the side holding something. Her bullets stitched the side of the helicopter and hit him. He fell in, the bag dropped. It hit the ground on the hillside and blew up, ripping away the camo cover that was over their camp. Cameron adjusted her aim while maintaining fire. The helicopter belched out heavy smoke as it disappeared over a hilltop.

The 30 cal on the dozer opened up. The other helicopter was coming in low from the north. Delilah saw this and fired two rounds of plasma. The helicopter veered as the windshield exploded from the gun fire. Delilah's plasma rounds flew through the rotors near the hub. One rotor flew off into the air. The helicopter dropped, shuddering. A crash and a loud explosion was heard.

They still heard the other helicopter's rotors beating away at the air. It appeared higher to the south. Cameron, Jesse and Delilah all opened up in it. Bullets and both of Delilah's plasma bolts struck. The helicopter exploded.

"Two down!" Delilah announced.

"Any more?" John asked in a yell.

"No," Cameron called back. "We need to leave now."

"Mount up, let's get out of here!" John agreed.

Cameron and Delilah ran and got up in their places. John drove away, Sarah followed. Luckily, they hadn't disconnected the cart. John used his gun periscope to drive, it had a better field of view. All he had to do was follow their old tracks through the brush and go as fast as he could.

"Cam, anyone hurt?" John asked.

"No, I lost a little more skin, not a concern," she told him. "John, when it gets dark, let me drive."

"We need to make some distance first. We got about an hour and a half of daylight left," John replied. "We don't want to be around when someone comes looking for those choppers."

Cameron watched the sky as John drove as fast as he could. Coming to a large bump, he flew the dozer over it. The cart bounced and lost a few things, but stayed upright. Sarah then flew over the mound. She came down, just missing a crate of mortar rounds. The right track did run over a block of C-4.

The explosion blasted the right track in half, halfway back on the tank. The EV2 lifted to the left, then bounced down hard and slid to the side. Sarah managed to get stopped without flipping it over.

"John, stop! Sarah lost a track," Cameron cried. John slowed and turned around. "Mom, is everyone OK?" he asked over the radio. He saw Delilah jump down to inspect the damage.

The blast hadn't breached the hull, but the right track was lying behind the tank in two pieces. Everyone got out and checked to be sure no one was hurt.

Sarah glared at John. "The cart lost some explosives during that jump," she said angrily. "John, stop being reckless!"

"Hey, we need to get a spare track out, I need a hand here!" Delilah called.

Jesse and Sarah kept watch while the rest of them got one of the spare racks out Cameron and Delilah lifted road wheels so Derek and Mark were able to slide the track under them. They lost a half hour of daylight getting the new track on. The broken track was dragged up and put in the storage bin.

Continuing on, Cameron drove the dozer, letting Delilah driving the EV2 lead the way, just in case anything else came out of the cart.

.

It was dark when they reached the church. Cameron got the doors open, then shut them behind them. As they traveled through the tunnel, ten miles from the border, they drove right under the picket of Mexican army that were searching for the terrorist group who'd massacred Mexican civilians.

.

The rest of the trip back was uneventful. At the Army depot they refueled again and left the cart and the supplies they didn't use, except for refilling ammo. In the early morning hours, they headed back home. The road they had to travel on was empty at 4:30 AM. Driving up to the drawbridge gate, Cameron used her remote to lower it.

.

Allison crying got Claire up. Not long after Allison cried, Joan took up the call. The last few nights, they had stayed in the back guest house at the mansion. Claire was getting worried. The Connors had been gone nearly two weeks, and there was no word at all.

She got Allison fed and settled, wondering if they were OK. She was imagining they had gotten into some great tank battle someplace, and were either dead or lying wounded.

Paying attention to red-eyed Joan (which was all Joan wanted), Claire heard the back gate activate. It wasn't dawn yet, but it was light enough to see the big gate lower. She then head engines. The tanks had returned. She watched them come in, then turn to go around the the back of the house she was in. The dozer had a large black mark on the side. The EV 2 had a similar black mark, and a portion of the track guard was bent up in the middle. Both were showing silver scratch marks all over the hulls where bullets had been deflected. Still holding Joan, Claire went outside to see where they were going to stop.

Seeing the tanks drive around to the front of the house, Claire went though the house to meet them. Coming out the front, She saw they stopped by the garage. People were getting out.

"I'll get the doors," Jesse said and went in the small door. She also turned the outside lights on.

"John, guide me in," Cameron called from an open hatch.

"Whoa, wait, how about a good, Cameron cooked HOT meal?" Mark yelled.

"Yeah, I'll get the dozer parked," John said going over to Cameron's hatch.

"Yeah, I'll go for a good breakfast, I'm hungry," Derek agreed.

"Cam, you really need the nutrients," Delilah added.

Claire was walking towards the group. Upon seeing Cameron climbing out of her hatch, Claire stopped and stared.

From behind, Claire saw bright metal showing on half of Cameron's head. Her ripped shirt was blood covered and her right shoulder and upper arm was thinner and silver. A few bloody streaks laced her back as well.

"Good GOD!" Claire cried upon seeing this.

Everyone looked over at her. Cameron's face was also partially nothing but silver skull, Her right eye was glowing red. Claire's knees failed her. She sat in place. "What happened to you!" she cried.

Cameron jumped up and out, landing on the ground. Her and John ran over to Claire.

Cameron knelt down in front of Claire. "It's not as bad as it looks," Cameron said and took Joan with a smile on her face that had flesh.

Joan reached up at Cameron's glowing eye and giggled as she waved her arm.

"Claire, it's OK," John said gently. "Cameron's really tough."

"How … how did that happen?' Claire asked weakly. To hear Cameron was metal on the inside was one thing. To see it was completely different! And with all that damage to her, she should be dead!

Cameron explained, "I was part way out of my hatch shooting when the rocket hit the side of the dozer. The splash of shrapnel caught me. I also got caught in the explosion of that bomb a helicopter dropped. Don't worry, I'm 89 percent operational. A little shoulder joint damage is all."

Splash? Splash! Cameron made it sound like she got hit with a spray of water, not bombs. And there was no flesh at all on her shoulder. Claire fainted.

Cameron looked at John and handed Joan to him. "I'll get Claire," she said.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

 _On the bare ground pockmarked with bomb holes under a dark cloudy sky lit mostly by the red flashes of explosions, Claire stood frozen in place as she watched the two tanks charge the line. She was helpless as a shell hit the side of Cameron's tank. Cameron flew out. Upon hitting the ground she stood up showing a glowing red eye. Bombs were exploding all around her. Like a movie hero, Cameron suddenly had a big machine gun in her hands. She fired at the line of men who were shooting her, ripping off chunks of flesh from her body. A bomb hit so close it blew Cameron in the air. Cameron fell flat and got up again. A rocket hit her, blowing her backwards. One of her arms flew off. Cameron had a pistol now when she got up, still shooting at the men. She was mostly skeleton. Claire wanted to scream for her to lay down and hug the ground, or better yet, just run away._

 _Cameron looked at her and said, "Mother, this is what I am."_

 _Another rocket hit Cameron, blowing her apart._

"Noooo!" Claire screamed as she came awake and sat up.

"Claire?" Daniel asked as he appeared beside her.

Claire hugged him and wept. She wasn't on some battlefield, she was in the dinning room of the mansion on a couch. Over at the table, all the people eating looked over at her. Beside John, Cameron sat in a her purple and red robe with a scarf over her head, both babies on her other side in their bassinets.

"Claire, it's OK," Daniel said as he petted her hair.

Terrified by the nightmare, Claire hugged her husband tight. She heard Allison cry. Cameron tended to her gently as any mother would. From the back, Cameron looked almost normal. Have a baby, go into combat that many would not survive, then come home with horrid wounds and be a mother. Screw Sylvester Stallone and the actor-pretenders, Cameron was the real life bad ass. Would big ole Arnold have a baby, then leave the hospital for the front line the very same day? Claire looked at Delilah on John's other side in her robe. Cameron's sister was a bad ass too. Claire wondered if that meant she was going to have another girl?

Sarah got up and came over to sit by Claire. She offered Claire a tiny smile and said, "It takes some getting used to."

"Some?" Claire asked in disbelief. "I saw her, she's torn up down to … bone! It's amazing she's still alive!" she cried.

Sarah nodded slowly and said, "It's happened before, and I'm sure it will happen again. Claire, Cameron and Delilah are terminators. They kill the enemy, no matter what. That is what they do. You can't stop them, you can't bargain with them, they don't sleep and they will never stop until whoever it is they are after, is dead."

"I'm sorry, Claire," Cameron said, turning so only the fleshed portion of her face was showing. "We should have never gotten you involved. That's my fault. I'm sorry."

"That's not right!" Claire told her firmly. "Yes, I'm having a hard time with this. I just had the … nightmare from hell! That does not mean you do not deserve our support. Even if I knew when I first saw you, what I would learn, we would still be here to do whatever we can for you, Cameron!" Getting louder as she found courage to defend her daughter, she said, "It is a good thing you are very tough. You may be a terminator, but you are also a good person and a loving mother. It's me who is sorry that you are forced to do terrible things. You have nothing to be sorry for, you're a god-damned hero! As is John, Delilah and the rest of you! You do what you have to do, I'll be here to help however I can. No. Matter. What!"

Cameron smiled at her and meekly replied, "Thank you for that."

.

Leon Rains was not happy. With payoffs, bribes and some blackmailing, he had information into what happened in Mexico. Pedro hadn't been dumb. He'd made his research center, and protected it well, worked with the locals who had no idea what he was doing, and had a good system in place to get drugs to America and stolen equipment back. He had performed well, then with a sudden strike from nowhere, his operation turned to ashes and everything he was working on had disappeared.

It was not a total loss, however. He learned a lesson here. Whoever this was blowing up their facilities was land based. They used fast, home made tanks to help hide their origins. By the escape route they took to the north, he knew they were based in America. If he could not destroy them, then he had to move off the continent and build up until he had the power to take them down.

One place in the world that absolutely hated America was Iran. They also had more resources, namely insane terrorists that were willing to blow themselves up, and were eager to do serious damage to anyone in the US.

Leon read their holy book and memorized important passages so he was able to talk with them as a 'fellow Islamic'. He would use their religious fanaticism to whip them up into frenzy, giving them true hope of destroying the 'Great Satan'.

.

Claire grimaced on the inside at how Cameron looked. Cameron did her best to hide all her bare metal, but it was hard to hide her face. Claire pretended not to see it, and insisted they keep up their Sunday gatherings. The last thing she wanted was for Cameron to feel self-conscious.

Truthfully, the hardest thing for Claire was to not shout out to the world how great Cameron was. Besides an ultimate warrior, she was also the ultimate mother tending to Joan and Allison with care when they were around. Claire also found something she could do for the Connors. John and Cameron hadn't been able to complete high school due to their life. John groaned some, but Claire talked to Sarah and got them into a 'home schooling' program and tutored them.

Selecting a room in the mansion, Claire set up a classroom where babies were welcome. Finding out Delilah had never gone to school, she had Delilah attend also. It didn't take long for her to find out none of them were dumb. John's main problem with school was that the pace was too slow. Being more patient, Cameron had put up with the 'slogging' pace of high school to be beside John. With only three students who had quick minds, Claire was able to cover months of classes in weeks. John was a little slow on math, but that was only a challenge for Claire to discover how to present formulas in a way for John to understand.

Summertime came so instead of only spending a few hours a day in class, Claire was able to give them a full class every day. Daniel wasn't the happiest that she was giving up her vacation time, but he understood Claire's motivation.

A week into the full classes, Cameron was up and cooking, so when everyone else was rousted, they would come down to a hot breakfast. Joan was in her seat on the counter, playing with a rattle and watching her mother when Claire came in.

Seeing Cameron in her robe an wearing a scarf on her head, Claire came over and asked, "Still healing well?"

"I am," Cameron said and offered her a smile with a whole mouth.

"Your eye is getting cloudy, can you see all right?" Claire asked. It was no longer red and it was eye-shaped, but with a cloudy eyeball. The skin around it had also grown back. Cameron was still missing part of her cheek and jaw flesh, but she was looking better every day.

"I can see fine, thank you for asking." Cameron replied.

"Good, I wouldn't want you to not be able to see in class," Claire told her. A timer dinged and Cameron pulled a pan out of the oven with a log of bacon on it that had to be a foot long and four inches around. "Cameron, that is a lot of bacon," she noted.

"It has two pounds of bacon in it. It's called a bacon explosion," Cameron explained. "It has sausage in it as well as bacon. All the cholesterol you can handle for the next three years in one place," she said with a grin. "Everyone except myself and Delilah get only a small slice. We will eat the rest of it. It's for me to help speed up my healing process. Delilah needs some also, she is growing the proper organs inside her so eventually, she is able to have a baby also."

Claire was about to ask who the father was going to be. Right, John, he'd married both of them. "Cameron, you are really comfortable with being one of two wives?" she asked.

"Yes. I know it is not normal human procedure. It is right for us," Cameron told her.

"That is hard to imagine," Claire said cautiously. "Usually a woman would be furious if her husband was even flirting with another woman."

"Delilah is a special case," Cameron told her as she got the eggs on to cook. "Delilah is not like Riley who wanted to take John away from me. If Delilah did not have us, she would have no one. She asked and begged me to be with us. I had to convince John it was all right to show her affection also. I know what is it to be alone. I did not want that to happen to Delilah. There's only two things most men do when they fine out what she is."

"Scream and run?" Claire guessed.

"Yes. Or try to shoot her, which would get them terminated."

"Let me put Allison down and give you a hand," Claire said and placed Allison near Joan, but not within baby-arm reach. Seeing Claire, Joan ge-ga'd and waved her arms as her eyes flashed blue.

"Oh you're such a cutie," Clair cooed at her.

"Morning," Sarah said as she came in with Mark. "Hi Claire. We're going shopping later. Is there anything you want?"

"We're fine, thanks for asking," Claire replied.

Everyone trickled in, Claire set the table and helped Cameron shuttle food. John and Delilah came out. They each gave Cameron a kiss before sitting down. Joan waved her arms at Cameron and whimpered, flashing red eyes. Cameron picked Joan up and the baby disappeared into her robe, now only a large bulge on the left side of Cameron's chest. Seeing this, Allison whimpered and waved her hands at Cameron.

Cameron looked at Claire.

"You need to eat too, Cameron, I'll feed Allison," Clair told her. Claire got a bottle and warmed it. Allison wasn't the happiest but accepted the bottle.

Seeing the thin slice of that large log of bacon Cameron put on John's plate, he frowned at her.

"It's too much cholesterol for you, John," Cameron explained.

He frowned deepened as she gave a quarter of it to Delilah and took nearly half for herself before returning it to the table for consumption.

"Only a small slice," Jesse said, looking at Derek. "You need to watch what you eat also."

Derek only let out a huff and took a half inch slice.

Seeing the English muffins and eggs, Mark said, "Hey, guys I got it!" He took an English muffin and split it, added an egg then a slice of the bacon log that fit perfectly on the muffin. Holding it up he said, We got Mc-Cameron's breakfast sandwiches!" He got a few chuckles, then Derek did the same thing. John followed suit.

Grinning at Cameron, John asked, "Cam, are you going to open a silver-arches?"

Sarah shook her head and said, "Please, no."

While they ate they made up the shopping party and got a list together. Delilah, Sarah, and Jesse were going to make the trip faster. Jesse and Sarah were going to do groceries, Delilah had the hardware store, then come back to the groceries store to help load up. The men had work to do on the EV 2 to fix the track guard and repaint it. Cameron had kitchen duty, which Claire was going to help with until it came time for class.

Heading out to the store, Delilah drove Sarah and Jesse to the grocery store. She dropped them off, then headed to the hardware store.

Seeing some men hanging around outside the store, Delilah only glanced at them and parked. They eyed her when she went in, of course most men did, so she didn't mark them as a threat.

Delilah got the five feet of Kendorf C-channel strut, the bolts, nuts and washers John wanted. Not finding the welding rod, she asked if they had it and a man showed her to the welding supplies. She paid for the purchases and one of the men kindly held the door for her since her arms were full of the container of welding rod and the Kendorf.

Going back out to the jeep, Delilah noticed one man was trying to hide behind it. She also noted two men following her. She grew a smirk.

Coming to the front fender, she saw the man step from behind the Jeep holding a knife low. He opened his mouth to demand something and Delilah rammed the strut into his groin. He bent over in pain and shock. She kicked him in the face. He flew back to fall prone and didn't move.

Turning her head to the to men who'd followed her, she asked, "Balls or brain?"

The men stopped and gaped at her. "What?" one asked.

"I am going to ram this piece of C-channel into you. So, where do you want it, balls or brain?"

One man pulled a gun. "Look Lady … Offf!" he ended as she thrust it back into his groin. He bent over and dropped the gun, she struck out with a mule type back kick to the head and catapulted him into the driving lane. He landed sprawled out, the look of shock was still on his face. She turned to the last man. He ran away at track-star speed.

She unlocked the Jeep and stepped over them man lying between the cars to put her things in the back. She got in and drove away, careful not to run over the other man lying in the road.

By the time she got the groceries, Sarah and Jesse loaded in, and was headed home, her encounter recorded on the store security video was on you tube, titled ; Thing 2, three fools attack her.

.

In San Pueblo, Emilo was in the bar, buying drinks for the survivors of the tank attack. On the TV, the new showed the altercation that left one man dead and one hospitalized.

One of the men stood up and pointed. "Hey, I seen her! She was on that fast tank with the turret, she killed Mucho muchachos!"

"You sure?" Emilio asked.

"As sure as I see you in front of me! Busty blond, that's her!"

"They said this was in Palmdale, up in California," another man said.

"Let's go rip that Punta apart, give her a Mexican necktie!" another half drunk man stated.

"Shoot her first! Both knees, then teach her what a Punta like her is good for!" another announced.

Emilo stood up and said, "No! Did you not see? She handles herself well. You have already lost, let it be. We need to work and rebuild, not go off on a vengeance that will get you killed!"

"She surprised us. We get her, we can torture her to find the others."

"I know of a drug tunnel still in use, we can bring weapons!" a man stated.

The men cheered. Emilio tried to calm them down, but it was useless. They wanted blood. He only hoped they would see the folly of what they were talking about when their Tequila courage faded away.

.

By their last class at the end of summer, the tutoring had produced good results, and Cameron had a whole face again. Cameron and Delilah were ready to take their GED, and John missed only by a couple questions. Claire started the new year of school feeling good about her work with them. The day she went to school, she ordered three exams, sure that John was going to pass his also.

.

"Hi Claire, how was your summer?" Tamara Jones asked as she looked at the papers Claire had. "Tutoring?"

"It was a good summer, And I had smart students," Claire said with a smile.

Tamara frowned slightly. "Was it worth giving up your vacation time?"

"Totally. Besides seeing some amazing things, we got a new car, and 20,000 leftover," Claire said with a big grin.

Tamara's jaw dropped. "Holy shit! Who were you tutoring, the Trump kids?"

Claire laughed and said, "No one famous, but they are … shall we say set as far as money goes."

Tamara remembered not seeing the Claire's little Chevy in the parking lot. "What kind of car did you get?"

"I don't know the model," Claire said with a shrug, "It's a four door Mercedes."

Tamara's eyes went wide. "I want to tutor these kids too!" she cried.

Holding up the requests for the GED tests, Claire told her, "They are older teenagers that never went to school. After they pass their GED's, I'm going to prod them into college work."

"Hell yeah! I'll help teach!" Tamara agreed with a big smile. "Damn, Claire, you hit the Jackpot!" Wearing a teasing grin, she waggled her finger at Clarie and said, "You know your babysitter is going to want a cut of that," she warned. "She sees that Mercedes and the price is going to take a big jump."

"I got another babysitter. She's family," Claire said with a wink. "Little Allison is as safe as if she was surrounded by tanks inside a fort."

"Yeah, so who is it? Anyone I know?"

"I don't think so," Claire told her. "These are pretty private people."

Todd came over with his I-pad. "Hey Ladies, you gotta see this vid of what this woman did to three car-jackers."

Claire watched Delilah take out two men in the parking lot, the third ran away. She winced. "Delilah got on a security camera, huh?"

Todd and Tamara looked at her. "You know her?" Tamara asked.

Quickly realizing her mistake, Claire said, "She's been on a few videos. That's Thing 2."

"Not every one knows her name," Todd said, eyeing Claire.

"They don't?" Claire asked innocently.

"Don't even tell me that amazon is who's watching Allison," Tamara said.

"She's not, but what's wrong with Delilah? So, she knows how to handle herself," Claire said defensively.

"She killed two of those guys," Todd stated.

"Their fault for attacking her," Claire replied.

"Yeah, but … she killed them!" Todd stressed.

"Scum shouldn't take on a Wolverine," Claire said simply.

"She's dangerous!" Todd insisted.

"Point a knife or a gun at her, and yes, she is," Claire agreed. She badly wanted to tell him that that video only showed a small bit of what Delilah and Cameron could do. Todd was a pacifist. He'd probably be running for the hills of he saw either one of them. Instead, she said, "I have to get ready for classes." and left him staring at her.

Tamara followed Claire. Quietly she said, "You do know Thing 2."

"I've met her, yes. She's a wonderful person, just not someone you want to anger," Claire admitted.

"She was right kicking those guy's asses," Tamara said. "If you see her again, tell her I said so."

.

Todd couldn't believe a fellow teacher here was all right with brutally killing someone. That one guy hadn't shot, and he'd dropped his gun. She didn't have to kill him. He'd heard the police were investigating, but had never heard anything beyond that. That woman was a murderer! She needed to be locked up! So what if those guys were gang members, they were people too.

After school, Todd went to his volunteer work down at the homeless center. He checked in to be sure he could claim his time here as a 'charity donation', then unpacked a few clothes and hung them up in the right sections by side.

As he worked, a thickly muscled Latino with tattoos came up to him. He wore a loose, un-tucked shirt, looking like one of their customers.

"Hey amigo, I want to thank you for your hard work here," he said cheerfully.

"Thank you," Todd said with a smile. "Is there anything you need?"

"Si, indeed there is. I was looking for a woman who's known as Thing Two. Saw her on the web," the man said.

"Yes, I've seen her also, but I don't know anything about her," Todd replied.

The man pulled out a hundred dollars, "No? Are you sure?" he asked.

"I've never seen them in person, no," Todd said. He then asked, "Why are you looking for her?"

Coming closer he said, "I'm under cover, Mexican police. Her, maybe her sister too, killed some men in Mexico, but the cops here won't move a finger unless I can show them where these killers are."

The word 'killer' sparked Todd's memory. "Yes, Thing 2 killed two men not long ago, right in the middle of the day in a parking lot not too far from here," he said eagerly.

"I heard, sure you don't know where I could find them?" the man asked and dug out another hundred dollar bill.

"I can't …" he then remembered this morning. "Wait! Claire Young, one of our teachers seems to know them," he said, glad he could be helpful.

"Ahhh," the man said and pulled out another hundred. 'I'd really appreciate your help, can you point this Claire Young out for me? We want to put the guilty ones away for a long time."

"They deserve it!" Todd agreed. "Sure, I'll help. Follow me, I can take you to Claire's house."

The man smiled and put the bills in Todd's pocket. "I thank you. Please, take me there. I'll ride with you."

Happy to be helping the Mexican police when their own police force could not stop these killers, Todd drove him the Young's house. On the way, Todd told the man, "I'm really glad you came to collect them. Our police are idiots!"

"True. Why do you think drug runners come here? To get away from us," the man said firmly. "Here, they can get away with much more."

"You're right!" Todd said, now knowing why there was such a drug problem with immigrants. They were being chased out of Mexico. "I wish our country would allow more men like you in."

"Me too," the man agreed.

Todd found the street and the house. A Mercedes was in the driveway. He pulled up in the driveway behind the car. Going to the door, Todd looked back at the expensive car Claire had. "How can she afford that?" he wondered.

"Dirty money," the man said.

"That's a shame," Todd said. All this time he'd thought Claire was a good woman. It made him sad that she might be into hiding criminal activities.

The man motioned for Todd to go first to the door. Todd did and knocked. After a moment, Claire came to the door.

"Todd? Daniel isn't home right…"

Her greeting was interrupted by the man stepping close and punching her in the face. Todd gaped at this, and was shoved inside to trip over her. "What the hell?" he asked. He stumbled up to see the man was holding a gun on him. The barrel had one of those silencer things on the end.

The man shut the door. "Now, amigo," he said in a heavy tone, "Get her up and in a chair."

Shocked, Todd cried, "You're no policeman!"

"In a chair now if you want to live," the man said, pointing the gun at his face.

Todd helped Claire, who was stunned and growing a bruise on her cheek into the nearest chair.

From another room, a baby cried.

Claire blinked and stared at the man. "What do you want?' she asked weakly as she tried to regain her senses.

"These things, One and Two, where do they live?" the man asked in a hard tone.

"I don't know," Claire stated.

The man shot the arm of the chair, grazing Claire's arm, making Claire jump and yelp out in pain. She clapped her other hand to the wound.

"Hey! You almost shot her!" Todd yelled.

Pointing his gun at Todd, the man said, "Open your mouth again, I shoot you!" he returned his aim on Claire and said, "Speak or die."

Claire met the Mexican's eyes with an unflinching scowl of hate. "You have no idea the hell you're bringing down on yourself. You want Cameron? Fine, I'll call her and tell her to come."

"And warn her I'm waiting for her, eh?"

"No, just that she's needed here." Claire stated and pulled her phone out. She punched the speed dial and stared at the man.

Todd eyed Claire, "You know her phone number?" he asked. Claire ignored him.

"Claire?" Cameron asked.

"Yes, dear. I need your help to take out the trash. Could you come over?"

"Yes, I'll be right there after I tell Daniel not to go home yet."

"Thank you," Claire said and hung up. She pocketed her phone and told the man, "She'll be here shortly."

"Claire, you know their hone number?" Todd cried.

"Todd! Shut up if you want to live!" Claire snapped.

The Mexican laughed and said, "Si, she gives good advice. Have a seat and keep your trap shut." He motioned towards the couch with the pistol.

Todd sat down, eyeing Claire. He wanted to know why she was in close contact with killers, but was afraid to open his mouth.

The Mexican eyed Claire and said, "You have cohones, Seniora. Yet you gave in easily. It makes me wonder why."

Claire shook her head and told him, "The moment you shot me, you sealed your fate. Cameron is going to kill you. Even if you decided to run, it won't save you. It will only delay your execution. You can't hide from her, you can't bargain with her. She doesn't sleep and will come after you day and night until you are dead."

The Mexican's face took on a hard look. "We shall see. This Cameron has men that will come with her?"

"Cameron doesn't need any help," Claire stated. "If you're religious, you should probably pray while you can.."

He laughed again. "You are thinking to scare me? You may be brave, but you are loco. I have hostages." Grinning he said, "I think I'll make her strip down before I kill her. Maybe have some fun with you too."

Claire shifted her gaze to look at the driveway. "It will be the last fun you will ever have," She said flatly.

.

Cameron rode with Daniel back to his house. She had him pull over and stop a few houses down, out of sight. "I'll come get you when it's safe," she said and got out. By the tone of Claire's voice, she knew something was very wrong. She was expecting the worst.

Walking through back yards, Cameron came to the Young's house and slipped in the back door. Allison was crying, which helped her be unheard as she checked each room. Coming to the living room, she saw a man on the couch, Claire sitting in a chair in a stiff pose, tensed up. Another man standing beside Claire with a gun pointed at her. The gunman was glancing between Claire and the windows.

"She better come soon!" the gunman warned.

Silently, Cameron approached him. The man on the couch noticed her and stared. The gunman saw this and turned around. The time for stealth was over.

"Drop the gun or die," Cameron stated as she approached.

The man grinned and pointed the gun right at her shoulder and shot. She didn't even flinch and kept coming.

Cameron rushed the last eight feet to him, grabbed his gun and crushed it and his hand, Her other hand slammed into his throat, squeezed and lifted him in the air.

Bug eyed from surprise and pain, the gunman's face turned dark red. His gun hand caught in Cameron's crushing grip dripped blood as she glared at him. Ignoring his flailing feet, and his other hand trying to break her hold on him, Cameron threw him to the floor.

"Who sent you?" Cameron asked as her eyes glowed red.

The man's face went wide. "La Diablo!" he cried.

Cameron knelt down with a knee to his stomach and grabbed him by the throat again making him grunt in pain. Staring at him blankly, her eyes glowing red, she stated, "You can die fast, or slowly. I ask. No answer and I break a bone. Who sent you?"

"God help me!" the man cried.

Cameron grabbed the wrist of his broken hand and twisted in a fast motion. The snap was audible. The man let out a howl of pain. "Who sent you?" she asked again and grabbed his forearm.

"My hombres will kill you!' he wailed.

SNAP. She broke his forearm and bend his broken hand back to his elbow. "Who sent you?" she asked again.

He swung a desperate punch with the other arm. Cameron caught it, twisted and pulled, popping his shoulder out of joint. This time she waited out his howl before asking, "Who sent you?"

"My boys … kill you!" he grated.

"Cameron, I need to tent to my arm and Allison," Claire said.

Cameron looked over a her, then punched the man in the head, making a loud crack like an axe hitting wood. Her eyes faded back to brown. Standing up, she pointed to Todd and said, "You, help Claire bandage that arm. I'll tend to Allison." She helped Claire to her feet.

Todd gaped at her, not moving. "You killed him," he said weakly.

Maybe," Cameron stated. She tipped her head slightly to the side and asked, "Do you need help moving?"

"No!" he cried and shot up to ask, "Where's the bathroom?"

"Follow me," Claire said. Todd did. He didn't want to end up mutilated on the floor like that man was.

Cameron left to tend to Allison. Shortly after, as they reached the bathroom, Todd noticed Allison stopped crying.

In a quaking voice, Todd looked back out the door and asked "She … didn't kill your baby, did she?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Claire said with a snort. "The gauze and pads are under the sink,"

Todd got them, asking, "What the hell is she? She can't be human!"

"Focus on the task at hand," Claire told him.

Todd tried to wrap her arm with trembling hands.

Seeing his hands shaking, Claire took the gauze. "I'll do it," Claire told him in a grumble. She glared at Todd and asked in a low voice, "Why did you bring that man here?"

"H...h...he said he was Mexican police... He was here to arrest Delilah," Todd stuttered out.

"And you believed him?" Claire asked unhappily. "You are a fucking idiot!"

Cameron came into the doorway an arm and a bulge under her shirt. A baby leg stuck out enough to show she was breast feeding. "Allison was hungry. I will go get Daniel and move the garbage out of your living room," she said, then left and went outside.

Claire noted the brief blank stare Cameron had given Todd. "You better go before she gets back," she said.

"But ... we have to call the police!" Todd cried, "A man's been murdered!"

Claire looked at him, then shook her head sadly. "Todd, you are your own worst enemy," she said with a sigh. She grabbed the tape and tapped the bandage in place.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Claire stared at him and said, "Think! You brought a dangerous man here, he shot me and threatened us and was going to try and kill Cameron. You got me shot. You saw what Cameron did to that guy. Just what do you think she's going to do to you for bringing him here?"

"I didn't hurt anyone," Todd said defensively. "The police need to be here!"

Glaring at him, Claire said, "You call the police, what are you going to tell them? A small woman lifted a two hundred pound plus man off his feet and crushed his hand, then broke his arm all up? You're going to tell them he was holding a gun and shot her before she even touched him? Not to mention said man is probably in your car right now, dead. Cameron and her sister are in some sort of secret government agency, so if you raise a fuss about them, guess who's going to disappear? Don't forget, you brought that man here. Cameron is going to see you as a threat. You saw what she does to threats, didn't you? Your best bet for survival is to get in your car, go dump that body off someplace and let me try to convince Cameron NOT to hunt you down and kill you."

"But..." Todd said weakly.

"Go now, before she comes back. Get rid of the body and forget you saw anything, GO!" Claire snapped.

Dazed, Todd scrambled for the door. Out in the living room, the man was gone. Todd ran to his car to find the man was crumpled in the back seat. Afraid Cameron was going to come after him, he got in and took off, wondering what he was going to do with the body.

.

Right after Todd pulled out of the driveway and sped away, Daniel pulled in.

Although Daniel wanted to take Claire to the hospital immediately, Cameron assured him she would heal Claire. Once little Allison was fed / burped and changed, Cameron drew some nanite rich milk from her breast and had Claire drink it.

Confused, Daniel asked, "How is drinking milk going to heal my wife's arm?"

Claire was now on the couch, feet up on the coffee table. Sitting in the table and putting a proper wrap on Claire's arm, Cameron explained, "I gave Claire nanite rich milk. The nanites will repair the damage to her arm internally."

Daniel frowned and asked, "Where did you get this nanite rich milk, whatever those are?"

"My breast," Cameron said and eyed him. "Where else would I get it?" Finishing the wrap on Claire's arm, she got up and said, "Stay here and don't use that arm for a few hours. I'll return in a couple hours to make dinner for you."

"Cameron, where are you going?" Claire asked.

"The man with the gun is dead, the one who brought him is still alive," Cameron replied flatly.

"Please, don't kill him!" Claire pleaded. "Todd's an idiot, he didn't know who that was."

Cameron regarded Claire for a moment, then said, "I won't kill him. I'm borrowing your car." She turned and left.

.

Todd was sweating bullets. He was driving around with a dead man in his car. What if he got pulled over? The police would think he did that. "Oh God," he moaned. He had no idea what to do. He couldn't go home until he got rid of that body.

Todd pulled into an empty parking lot to sit and take a few breaths to calm himself. Head on the steering wheel, he was oin the verge of crying from the horror he'd witnessed. First that man had lied to him, then super-woman with the glowing red eyes took a shot to the shoulder then promptly beat and tortured him to death.

He then heard the short 'whoop' of a siren. He looked up to see a police car behind him.

"Oh no," he cried weakly. His mind raced. Should he run and be one of those people on the police-chase videos? No, that never turned out well. Would he be cuffed and taken to jail for killing that man?

As the cop got out of his car, Todd peed his pants. He was gong to jail for murder, he knew it! Another innocent man in jail for a crime he didn't commit.

An authoritative voice said, "Sir, I need you to step out of the car, hands where I can see them."

Todd started crying.

Cameron arrived as Todd was getting out of the car, an officer holding his gun on him. She pulled around to the front of Todd's car, got out and showed her badge. "Officer!" she called. "I am Cameron Connor, special agent, Homeland Security. Thank you for stopping that man."

The cop nodded and said, "He's got a dead guy in the back seat."

"He does," Cameron agreed. "Back at the scene we are working, another man stuffed him in the back of this car and made him drive away. I already called for a discrete pickup of the body. I need to talk to the driver."

The cop checked her badge then nodded. "All right Ma'am, he's yours. I need to report this."

"As you should do. Thank you again for stopping him," Cameron said.

The cop returned to his car to make his report. Cameron took Todd by the arm and led him over to the Mercedes. She stood him by the back and said, "Claire is correct. You are an idiot."

"You're Homeland Security?" Todd asked weakly.

"Yes, Special Agent," Cameron said firmly. "I know that man in the back seat of your car. Drug runner and hired muscle for a dead drug lord. He came to get revenge on me. You took him right to Claire's house so he could get hostages to draw me out. Did he say who else was with him?"

"No," Todd said, very glad the policeman hadn't left yet. He was sure she wasn't going to kill him as long as the police were here.

"Who did he say he was?"

"Mexican police, undercover."

"Did he show you a badge?"

"No."

"Did he tell you his name?"

"No," Todd said weakly. It was then Todd realized what a fool he'd been.

The Officer got out of his car and came over. "Ma'am, I verified your name and status. Is there anything I can do to assist?"

"There is, Officer. If you could stay until the tow truck comes to ensure no one touches that car, I would greatly appreciate it. We need to do forensics on it and the body," Cameron told him.

"What about this guy?"

"He's a victim in that he was forced to transport the body. I'm going to take him home."

"What about my car?" Todd asked.

"As soon as we're done with it, it will be returned," Cameron assured him. "Come on, let's get you home." She motioned to the passenger side. She even opened the door for him. She got in the driver's side and drove away.

Cameron left the lot and asked, "What's you address?"

Todd told her, then asked, "What are you?"

"Classified," Cameron stated. She glanced at him and added, "You are very lucky. If that man would have seriously hurt or killed Claire, I would have killed you right after I killed that other guy. Learn from this. It may save your life one day."

"Doesn't it bother you that you kill people?" Todd asked, looking for a shred of humanity in this woman.

"The ones I kill are themselves looking to kill not just one person, but many. In a few cases they are working to kill millions. No, it does not bother me. It's my job to take out the trash." Casting another glance at him, she added, "And I'm good at it."

Todd remembered What Claire had said when she'd called Cameron. "Claire called you to come take out the trash. Is she part of Homeland Security too?"

"No," Cameron stated. "By the way, everything that happened today is classified. You cannot speak to anyone about it. If you do, I'll be coming to visit you. You don't want me coming to visit you."

"No, I don't," Todd agreed. "Umm, what about your wound?"

"Not your concern, Forget about it."

Todd swallowed again. He'd always heard about government conspiracies and people made to stay silent. Now, he was one. He fully understood why these people didn't talk. They didn't want human shaped monsters like Cameron coming after them.

.


	26. Chapter 26

CH 26

John worked at straightening the EV2 track guard with Derek. Holding onto the strut to pry the metal back down as Derek heated the bent guard with a torch to help it bend, John was hanging off the end of the strut.

"Come on!" John groaned, trying to bend the thick metal. He lifted himself up on the strut and bounced, trying to get the damn thing down. While he did this the piece they bolted onto the strut to grip the track guard was spreading. Neither John nor Derek noticed. John jumped up on the strut and bounced again. A loud POP sounded and the strut let go. John fell to the floor, right onto the corner of the welding unit they were going to use.

"Ahhh!" John yelped in his drop onto the welding unit, then glanced off it to hit the floor. He then grabbed his arm and screamed.

"John!" Derek cried. He shut his torch off and jumped down.

"FUCK!" John yelled as he held his bleeding arm.

"Let me see it," Derek said and tried to get John to let go. John did. Blood poured out of the rip that looked like it was down to bone, muscle showing. After the initial flow, it stopped. Derek stared, as did John.

"What the fuck?" Derek asked. John's muscle was not dark red, but a grayish red The exposed bone was a medium gray, not white like a bone should be.

Shocked, John clapped his hand back over the wound. "What … what's happening to me?" he asked weakly.

"What was that?" Derek asked weakly.

"Derek … I … what's happening to me?" John asked.

Derek's face took on a look of understanding. "Let's go ask your metal wife," he said in a hard tone. He helped a shocked John up. They went inside.

.

"Your are healing?" Cameron asked on the phone, watching the girls as they ga-ga'd back and forth and giggled on the floor in front of her.

"Yes! Even the scar is going away. Just how did you do that?" Claire asked.

"The nanites in the milk I gave you helped your arm heal," Cameron explained. "I did not have time to modify them. I did put a time limit on their function. When that scar is gone, they will stop working and flush out of your system as waste."

"That's incredible. You said you put a time limit on them?" Claire asked.

"My milk is mainly for Joan. She had to grow her metal as well as her biological organs, that is what those nanites do. They heal, then if there is nothing to heal, they grow the same metallic parts that I have."

There was silence for a moment, then Claire asked, "So, when you feed Allison, she's getting these nanites also?"

"She is, but being human, they will only reinforce her skeleton and connecting tissue, making her resistant to damage," Cameron told her.

"She won't turn into a cyborg," Claire said.

"Negative. If she is hurt though, she will heal quickly and the possibility of breaking a bone will be greatly reduced."

Claire let out a relived chuckle and asked, "So her eyes won't turn red?"

"Correct." Right after Cameron said that, Joan sat up and clapped her hands and let out a blue eyed giggle.

Allison followed suit. Her eyes didn't glow, but they did turn blue briefly.

Uh oh. Cameron had spoken too soon. John and Derek came in, John was holding his arm, there was blood on him. "Claire, John's been hurt, I have to go."

"Take care of your husband, bye."

Cameron got up and went over to John. Derek was right by her ear. "What the fuck have you been doing to John!" he asked loudly.

"Let me see," Cameron asked, ignoring Derek.

"What's happening to me?" John asked weakly as he let her inspect his wound.

Cameron looked, the wound was already closing up. "The nanites are working," she said.

"Nanites?" John asked. "I got nanites?"

"Yes, John. You are drinking my milk. Joan needs the nanites to grow properly. You need them to reinforce your natural bone structure and to help you heal." She then explained to John what she just told Claire.

Derek's eyes widened. "You're turning John into a terminator?" he asked in a wail.

"No," Cameron said calmly. "More like a true cyborg, a bio-metal mix. He will be healthier and live longer."

"You could have asked first," John said in a grumble.

Cameron frowned at him and said, "John, I want you around for a long time, so does Delilah. Since she feeds Joan also, she had the same nanites in her milk too."

"I don't believe this!" Derek cried with a flail of his arms and walked out.

"John, if you are upset, I'm sorry," Cameron said.

John cast her a tiny smile and said, "I'm just shocked." He hugged her and added, "Let me know next time, OK?"

Cameron snuggled into him. "You're right, I should have."

A happy "GE-GE!" sounded. John looked to see Joan and Allison crawling towards them.

Cameron and John sat down and played with the children. Seeing Allison's eyes turn blue as she laughed, he looked at Cameron. "Allison too?" he asked.

"I have to explain to Claire," Cameron said.

.

"Ma-Ma!" Allison cried upon seeing Claire come into their classroom in the mansion.

Claire looked a her child sitting up by herself and smiled. "Oh, she said mama …." Claire frozen upon seeing Allison's bright blue irises.

"I'm sorry, Claire,' Cameron said meekly. "She just started doing that today."

"Ma-Ma!" Joan cried and held her arms up to Cameron. Cameron picked her up and held her.

Claire picked up Allison. "Hey sweetie, I see you're growling, and little differently that I thought you would."

"Ge ge!" Allison said happily.

"I'm really sorry, Claire," Cameron said again.

Claire offered Cameron a smile. "Hon, you didn't know what would happen, did you?"

"No. I just wanted to keep Allison from ever being hurt," Cameron admitted.

"I don't want Allison to ever be hurt either, so don't worry about it," Claire told her. "You haven't done anything bad or malicious. You do what you always do, try to make things better."

"Thank you for that."

Claire announced, "All right, where's the rest of our students? We need to do a pre test for your GEDs."

.

Leon Rains was not having much luck. Proposing a secret very high tech facility to the Iranians, they demanded full access to what was being done, as well as having their own techs hired. As did the Chinese, as did India. At least North Korea was honest and booted his rep out. They were in negotiations with the south and the US, and did not want to endanger the embargos against them being lifted.

Canada also wanted their techs being hired, and were eager to list the new hires and do safety and wellness inspections of the facility. When his rep offered 'shush' money to the inspectors, he was arrested. He'd be back after his five year sentence.

One place eager for money was Guatemala. It was also too close o the US, as in those Connor people could get there. So was Venezuela, Argentina and Costa Rica. He didn't even think about approaching Cuba, the US had a base there. Isolated, true, but still too close to the US.

One hopeful spot was in the Philippines. They were keeping a population on an island so China wouldn't try to take it over. Everything had to be flown in and out, but at least it was isolated, and the Philippine President was happy to pass on the transportation costs of supplies to him.

He took the deal, and even would pay for the protection of the Philippine warship that kept the sea lane open to the island.

.

Sitting on a couch in the TV room, Sarah held her head in her hands as she looked at the floor.

On the couch a respectful distance away, Delilah offered, "Sarah, look at the bright side. John is less prone to injury and he will heal much faster."

"I live in cyborg hell," Sarah grumbled. "Not even my boy is safe."

"What can I do?" Delilah offered. "Can I get you a beer or something?"

"A whole case of Tequila won't make this go away," Sarah grated. "So will John need a chip too? Or will he grow one?"

"John is not going to grow a computer chip in his head, nor will he need one." Delilah said firmly. At least, she didn't think so.

Sarah scrubbed her face with both hands. In a rant, Sarah said, "This has gone above and beyond! I know John was never going to live a normal life, but, THIS IS REDICULOUS! My John, who has spent his whole live training and preparing to take on Sky Net's metal killers, HAS BECOME ONE! Just how in the HELL am I suppose to deal with this!"

John will live longer and be healthier. Isn't that a good thing?" Delilah asked.

"What fucking right did Cameron have to do this to him?" Sarah asked, glaring at Delilah.

Delilah's face went blank. "Sarah, Cameron cares deeply for John. She does everything she can for him. Ensuring John's safety and happiness is her one major priority. He's my high priority too. Sarah, John is still John. He always will be." Getting up, she added, "I am very sorry you are taking this news so poorly. You ask what right she had? I'll tell you, the right every woman has to do everything she can for the benefit of her family. I tried to make you understand, but you are so focused on 'metal', you don't see this is a good thing Cameron did for John." She turned and walked out.

"Fuck!" Sarah spat and flopped back on the couch. "What else can happen?" she asked the ceiling.

.

Claire came with the GED tests. She also came with a request. Once her three students were done with their tests, she sealed the large envelopes then said, "Since the last charity soccer game was a huge success, we are going to have a charity football game. The team coming is the LA LFL team, women's football. Right now we only have six women signed up. This is real football against professional players. The tickets have already been sold out. Many women are scared to join, seeing how the game is so physical. We really need at least 14 players. We have a three tentative players coming from Seattle, which will give us nine. If we can get a couple more, and they cam play defense and offence, along with the Seattle members, we can at least be able to take the field."

"I've seen football, I'll play," Delilah said.

I will too," Cameron told her. "Order whatever our team will need, I'll pay."

"Wonderful!" Claire announced. "Sunday we're going to have our first practice. Study up on the game, LFL rules. This is going to be fun!"

John looked at his wives and asked, "Ahh is this smart? I mean, you'll be on camera again."

"We'll be wearing helmets, we won't be recognized." Delilah replied.

"GE-GE!" Joan cried, flinging her arms up.

.

Cameron went to the school and met with the athletic director. The LFL uniforms were similar to the NFL uniforms except for the bra like top and the face guards on the helmets were clear Plexiglas. (Can't ruin the makeup). For this one game, Cameron got the sizes and went to the store to buy conservative bikini tops for everyone and a few spares of a few sizes. The shop class at school got to work on making the clear face plates. The rest of the gear was standard high school football gear. The coach made sure Cameron and Delilah had the numbers 1 and 2.

Saturday came. John brought Joan with her to practice and set her on the seat beside him. Joan wore her onesie that had 1.1 on it.

Most of the other players were late-teens, and looked fairly fit. Three girls showed up were older - mid 20's, and wore Seattle Mist workout uniforms. Two were taller, and one Cameron sized up as 5 ft 3. All three were thick looking, but from muscle, not flab. They all had washboard stomachs. They met and greeted each other. The short Seattle girl who was their normal quarterback was designated as team captain.

"All right girls," The short blond said with a clap of her hands. "First of all, if any of you think this is going to be a soft game, get that thought out of your head right now! This is football! We're going to train hard, we're going to play hard, and we're going for the win! We need to see what everyone can do, then we're going to run drills. Push hard and believe in yourself."

Delilah was the first to be a 'receiver'. Running out, she watched the short blond fire a football at her. It was a little high, but she jumped up and caught it, then ran a few yards before firing it back.

Cameron did run / stop/ run the other way drills. She was then a receiver. She too caught every ball thrown to her, and returned the throw perfectly. On the 'full field' runs, Cameron and Delilah were neck and neck crossing the goal line, leaving everyone else far behind.

After three more 'full field' runs, the blond pointed to Cameron and Delilah. "You and you, over here," she said motioning them over.

They came over. The blond asked, "I haven't seen either of you. Who do you play for?"

"The school, this is our first game," Cameron told her.

"You're shitting me!" the blond said.

"There is no feces involved." Delilah told her.

The blond laughed. "You're not even breathing hard. Think you two can play offence and defense?" she asked.

"We can," They chorused.

"Great, that means we have a real chance at winning," the blond said happily. "I brought a receiver with me, but you girls will on offence. Defense, I'm putting you on the line. You job will be to sack the quarterback. I know her, and under pressure she has a tendency to fold. We're going to do to more passing practice."

By the time practice was over, the women from the school were barely able to stand in their exhaustion. Cameron and Delilah were still out running and catching footballs with the blond. The Blond purposely threw high and to the side. Cameron and Delilah never missed caching a pass.

The blond decided that after the game, if they did even half as well as in practice, she was going to ask them to join her team.

.

Cameron bought a football. When they weren't doing anything else, her and Delilah practiced running and fireing the ball at each other. The next practice, other girls from the school were doing a little better, working out during the week to be a little more athletic. They soon realized that this was going to be a serious game.

The blond came up with a lineup. Offence was the three Seattle girls, the Blond was the quarterback. Cameron and Delilah were the running backs. On the defense, it was Cameron, Delilah, two of the Seattle girls and three of the best high school girls. The Blond took a few days to teach them the plays she was going to use, and had them practice the plays with an opposing front line of girls who weren't on the offensive team.

One play, Delilah was to race over right behind the blond, take the ball and charge up field to the goal. Another, Cameron was to race out, catch a high pass and run to the goal.

She talked about blocking and tackling and went over the rules for play until everyone had it down.

.

Game day came. Their whole team was in the high school uniforms with red bikini tops to match the school uniform colors. The stands were packed, and many had video cameras. TV cameras were scattered around the field. The teams came out to the roar of the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer's voice called out. "Welcome to the charity Women's football game, proceeds going to the children's hospital and their cancer research center. Today we have an exciting lineup! The LA Temptations versus a mix of players from Seattle and our very own town, INCLUDING Things One and Two! When asked about how this game will go, the LA coach only promised a good game. Our hometown Coach Michaels grinned and said this is going to be a battle for the ages! While LA is a top rated professional team, I'm sure they aren't forgetting they are facing members of last year's Legend cup winners, the Seattle Mist, as well as two of the most athletic players we've ever seen. It's not going to be a cake walk for either side, which means this should be an exciting game! Team captains are going out on the field for the coin toss … LA just waved off the toss, letting the home team have first crack at trying to make a touchdown. What a show of sportsmanship!"

.

On the field, Cameron and Delilah watched closely as the kicker at the other end of the field gave the ball a boot, them the whole team ran at them. Tracking the ball, Cameron said, "It will come down on the five yard line." She moved to intercept the ball. Delilah ran up to her side.

The ball was flipping end over end. Cameron caught it and took off, charging at the black uniformed opposition. Two girls ran at her. Timing their approach, Cameron vaulted up and flipped, sailing over them. She hit the ground running as one of the girls grabbed air where Cameron had been and dove into the ground face first.

To her right, Delilah rammed into another defender, knocking her back and down. The crowd roared as now in the open, Cameron raced to the goal, Delilah close by, watching for pursuit. One girl fro the LA team was running flat out, trying to catch them. Delilah slowed and bumped her to the side, knocking her down. Cameron ran over the end zone.

Knowing there was suppose to be some showmanship upon crossing over the goal line, Cameron held the ball up high and did a sexy hip and belly dance that the crowd loved.

LA then realized this was not going to be an easy game.

"Touchdown by Thing One!" The announcer screamed. "An amazing full field run straight from the kickoff! By the looks of some of the LA players, they were just hit in the face with cold water. I doubt in their wildest dream that anyone could avoid a dual tackle attempt like that! Thing One just flew over them and kept on trucking! Great running guard by Thing Two as well, she made sure no one got near her sister!"

.

A the LA five yard line, the blond huddled her team. "Fantastic run, Cameron. This time, Cameron, run to the side and into the end zone. Delilah, run across the back, I pass the ball to you. Plow your way into the end zone. Stevie, push on Delilah's back if you have to, just get her across the line. Everyone else on the line ram into them and keep them back, block to keep then away from Delilah. Let's go!"

The lines set up, half the LA team had their eyes on Cameron. At the start, Cameron raced around the right end, hand up. She was covered by two players. Delilah got the ball and charged. An LA girl was right in front of her. Delilah ducked low and as they hit, she forced herself up to throw the LA player over her back. Two more LA players grabbed her, pushing back hard. Walked into the end zone on her feet, Delilah dragging them with her.

"WOW, Thing Two tossed the first defender over her back, then dragged two more across the line with her! What a play!"

.

It was now LA's turn to have the ball. Cameron and Delilah crouched down mid line facing the LA defenders. The instant the ball was hiked, they charged, knocking the defenders aside. The quarterback had run back a few yards to get open, she turned to have Cameron grab her and throw her to the ground.

Six yard loss. LA had to start at their own goal line. 2nd and thirteen.

The next play, Delilah blasted through the line to catch the quarterback before she could sprint off to the side and pushed her down, then put a hand on her back to make the tackle.

"Who the Fuck do you think you are?" an LA player screamed in Delilah's face.

"Thing Two," Dalilah said flatly, then pushed her back to fall on her ass.

Enraged, the woman got up. Members of both teams got between them to prevent a fight.

3rd and thirteen.

The next time, LA pulled a Quarterback sneak. As Cameron and Delilah charged the quarterback, The girl that hiked then took the ball back let then blast by, and tried for a run. She got six yards before she was tackled.

On their fourth down, LA took a time out. Their coach was pissed.

He barked at them, "What the hell are you doing out there? They are blowing right through you! If this keeps up, we're going to be murdered out there! Wake up, we're not playing amateurs here, they have pros in their team so you need to act like it! Close the line up tight! DO NOT let those two through! Get rid of the ball as fast as you can. Running backs, stay close, and get that ball and do an end run. Now get out there and make some yardage!"

This time, the quarterback managed to toss the ball to a running back before Delilah bowled her over. Cameron, focused on the ball, charged the running back. The running back threw the ball to the other running back just before Cameron hit her. The ball wobbled in the air and was caught by a Seattle girl, who ran back across the goal line.

Touchdown.

.

By the end of the first quarter, the Home team was up, 51 to zero. The LA team was sporting bruises from being mauled by Cameron and Delilah. The quarterback limped off the field and was replaced due to the amount of bruises she had from getting rammed into. The LA team started getting mean. One player tried to shove Cameron and she insulted her. She ended up pushing herself back. Cameron stopped and cast her a death glare. Lucky for that girl, her team mates got in between them.

Halftime came with the score of 97 to zero. Going into the locker room, the Hometown coach let the Blond do the briefing.

"Good job out there, everyone," she praised. "LA thought this was going to be an easy game, you showed them differently. Don't let it go to your head, LA doesn't give up, if anything, they are going to come out looking for blood. Cameron, Delilah, they are talking trash to you to try to get you into a fight and get kicked out of the game. Don't fall for it. If they hit you, do not hit back. Let the ref throw them out of the game. We also have to watch closely for fouling. They are desperate to get a score on the board and will do anything to get that."

.

Kickoff this time went to LA. Cameron watched her team mate kick the ball down field, She raced after it, staying just behind the ball. Delilah was on her left, right behind her. The LA girl set to catch the ball had a pair of girls in front of her. Cameron felt a hit in the ribs as she ran past one of the defending team before she grabbed the catcher and put her to the ground.

A whistle blew. Cameron then noted the one she'd passed was on the ground holding her knee and crying out in pain.

A referee announced, "Unnecessary roughness, LA, number eleven. Ten yard penalty."

The wounded girl was carried off the field as booing sounded from the crowd. Instead of the fifteen yard line where Cameron had downed her opponent, La started at their own five yard line.

The announced said, "That foul was a deliberate act to take Thing One out of the game! I bet they won't try that again! LA's own player is being taken off on a stretcher. The refs are checking with Thing One … she appears to be fine. That was a hard hit she took, but she's going to stay in the game."

In the stands behind the Hometown bench, John chuckled and said, "Serves them right."

Sarah snorted and said, "What else do you expect to happen when you ram your knee into a steel plate?"

The Blond changed Cameron and Delilah to linebackers when they got the ball again at the LA two yard line. Cameron and Delilah kept the pocket open. The Home team got the goal, but didn't get the extra point.

At the end of the third quarter, with a score of 112 to zero, LA conceded the game due to injuries.

Ecstatic they'd won, the Home team did a victory dance mid field that the crowd loved. The LA team went quietly to their locker room.

Besides the cheering of the crowd, the School's cheerleaders came out to dance and sing, "Thing One and thing Two, Thing Two and thing One! They can do anything, anything, anything under the sun!" which also got a round of happy cheers from the crowd.

.

After the game, the Blond took Cameron and Delilah aside. "Girls, you were better than fantastic out there. I'd really like if you'd come to play for us in Seattle."

"We can't," Cameron told her.

"We have important jobs to do," Delilah agreed.

"We did this just for fun, and it was fun," Cameron added.

The blond shook her head and said, "I can't believe how fit you both are. Just what do you do?"

"Homeland Security agents," Delilah said.

"Delilah, that's classified," Cameron scolded.

"Sorry. Please forget I said that."

The blond laughed and said, "Well, I certainly feel safe with you two watching over us! Take care guys, it's been a pleasure playing with you."

Cameron and Delilah no more than got a few steps outside the locker room when the LA coach approached them.

"Excuse me," he said, "How much will it take to get you two on our team?"

"No," Cameron said flatly.

"Your team yelled at us, insulted us and Cameron got kneed in the ribs. No." Delilah said firmly.

Staying in front of them he pleaded, "Sky's the limit for your salaries…"

He stopped talking when Delilah grabbed him by the shirt and tossed him into a wall. "We said, NO!" she stated.

The coach watched them walk away and muttered, "Damn shame. Those are two rough girls."

.

The charity football game was on Youtube before they got home. The game was broadcast on local TV, as well as the fact the proceeds from game brought in just over a hundred thousand dollars for the children's hospital.

Just like the last time Cameron and Delilah came into the public eye, every news media were pleading for interviews with these 'mysterious' girls. The news broadcasts of that football game went nation wide, and the pleas for interviews followed. There were even cash incentives by TV stations for anyone who could help contact them.

Everyone was on the lookout for 'Thing One and Thing Two'.

Somehow, Claire was connected to them. That brought a plague of reporters to the school and to their house. It got so bad that Claire hated to even go outside. Police had to be called to keep reporters off their lawn.

Realizing they had to do something, John called Colonel Watson. After conferring with the President, he begrudgingly agreed that the media had to be placated with something. People knew Cameron and Delilah were here, and some of the 'speculation stories' going around were way out there, including rumors that the two were aliens, and another that claimed they were products of government experiments.

Talking with them John, and Mrs. Weaver, Watson came up with a list of 'can', and 'cannot' things to be discussed. They also agreed that the interview should be arraigned with a 'moderate' entity, and be completely by surprise to keep other eager news people from following them home.

The first thing John did was to look for TV stations that had easy off road access. Unfortunately, there were none. The best he could come up with was a station that had their broadcasting facility near in the beautiful hills overlooking Lancaster, north of Palmdale. They would still have a mile of road to cover to get there, but in the EV2, they could make the trip quickly.

Picking the day, Sarah and John agreed a Wednesday was the best. Cameron refined the plan even further. To avoid possible trouble, they removed the turret on the EV 2 and bought a pair of dirt bikes. Taking the day, they shopped for full riding leathers, boots and full face helmets with tinted visors. There was plenty of room on the back of the EV2 to get them it up and on and tied in place.

Wednesday came. Sarah watched the girls as Cameron and Delilah left out the back. They timed their arrival for the beginning of the news broadcast. John waited until the right time, then called the station.

"Lancaster news watch fifteen, may I help you?" said a secretary.

"Yes, Thing One and Thing Two are headed to your station to give an interview, if you are interested. They will be there in about two hours," John told her

"Who's this?"

"Their husband, John Connor. They will arrive on dirt bikes. This is your one and only chance to interview them."

There was pause, then, "Hold please."

John was on hold for about a minute, then a male voice came on. "Who is this?"

"John Connor," he said again. "Thing One and Thing Two are coming to your station. If you want an interview, you got just under two hours before they arrive."

"How do I know this isn't a prank?" the man asked in a hard tone.

"Wait two hours. You'll see two women riding dirt bikes arrive. That's them. Can you take the chance not to be ready for them?" John asked.

"How do I know it will be them?"

"Oh, you'll know," John said firmly. "Take my advice, be ready." he then hung up.

.

The manager of the station was cautious, but he was no fool. If this was real, this was an interview he could sell to every station in the country, and they would get credit for a breaking story. He got ready to replace the 'Clara's cooking' spot with a room set up for the interview. The anchor woman was told about it, and quickly wrote up a list of questions for these mysterious girls, and had videos of them ready for broadcasting.

.

Cameron parked the EV 2 on a trail three miles away. They locked it then got on their dirt bikes to ride to the station. When they arrived, a man was outside by the doors. He locked onto them as they came into the parking lot.

Stopping in front of them, Delilah took her helmet off. "We understand you'd like an interview with us?"

"Yes! Please just park here by the door." he said excitedly.

They were hurried inside to the makeup room to get ready for their interview spot.

.

John and the rest of the family also watched, wanting to see the interview. The news started. The anchorman had a new partner as they went over the major news and weather, then the anchor man said, "We have special guests today. Monica is not here at the desk, she is going to give us the first ever interview with the two mystery ladies known only as Thing One and Thing Two! Monica?"

The scene changed to a living room scene. Monica was sitting in a chair and said, "Thank you, Brian! Today we have special guests! The women known as Thing One and Thing Two. Ladies, may I ask your real names?"

The camera showed Cameron and Delilah sitting side by side in their riding leathers.

"I'm Thing One, Cameron Connor."

"I'm Thing Two, Delilah Connor."

"I am very pleased to meet you!" Monica gushed. "So tell me, how did you get such odd nicknames?"

"A policeman friend of ours," Delilah explained. "He was being silly, so we got silly too and bought T-shirts saying Thing One and Thing Two. From that point, the nicknames just stuck."

"We did a karaoke contest wearing those shirts, and that is how everyone knows us now," Cameron added.

In the upper corner of the screen, it showed Cameron and Delilah singing that day.

"That is a cute story," Monica said. "Besides singing very well and winning that contest you also are both very athletic. You played soccer like pros, and in the latest charity football game, you did much to help the Palmdale team beat a professional team in a complete domination of the field! Let's watch a couple clips from that game."

The screen changed to show Cameron racing at a pair of defenders and doing a flip high over them. The scene changed to show Delilah charging the line, and throwing a player over her back, then dragging two more over the goal line. The next was Cameron weaving through defenders, desperately trying to grab a hold of her. The last was Delilah jumping fifteen feet in the air to catch a high pass in interception, then knocking a player to the side to run for the goal.

The scene returned to the interview room.

"That was a very exciting game where you both dominated in every play. The level of your ability is off the chart!" Monica raved. "Neither of you look very big, how did you manage such powerful athletic moves?"

Cameron and Delilah looked at each other. This was it, where the real questions started. Cameron said, "We are naturally very strong and agile. We don't bulk up as humans do."

Monica gaped at them. "You're saying you aren't human?"

"We are not," Delilah stated. "There are some things we can tell you, but much we can't. We've been here for a while, and found this is a very nice place."

Monica paused, her mouth moving, but nothing came out. She finally got out, "Where are you from?"

"I'm sorry, "Cameron said, "That is one thing we can't tell you. We've been restricted to talk about family life, and what the public has seen."

"You are aliens?" Monica asked.

Instead of answering, they both made their eyes glow blue briefly. "We're not human," Delilah said.

"We do work with agencies, though we can't disclose which ones they are," Cameron explained.

"This is incredible!" Monica cried. To the camera, she asked, "Did you get that eye flash?"

She then asked, "What are your lives like? You have a family?"

"We do!" Cameron said with a smile. She then waved at the camera and said, "Hi Mom!" To Monica, she said. "We have a husband and I recently I had a cute little baby girl."

"It's MY turn next," Delilah said with a grin, raising her hand up.

"You … you both have the same husband?" Monica asked weakly.

"We do," Delilah said. "John is great, he supports us fully, and accepts who we are. That makes him very special to us."

"It is not against the law, either," Cameron added. "The law of only once spouse applies only to humans."

"Which is good for us," Delilah said. "I get to have my husband and my sister right with me. I can't think of anything more perfect."

"You two are truly chock full of surprises," Monica said in wonder. "I have to ask, Cameron, when your baby grows up, how will she address Delilah?"

Cameron pointed to Delilah and with a crooked grin, said, "Mom Two."

"You really like the one and two thing," Monica noted. "How did you decide who was one and who was two?"

"John married me first, so I'm one, Delilah was second, so she's two," Cameron explained.

Monica laughed, "I like your sense of humor. So my next question is, how would you compare Earth to where you were before?"

"Paradise," Delilah said firmly. "Where we came from is …dismal, I believe the correct word is. Dark skies, radiation everywhere and the temperature was cooler. As far as biological life, there was little left."

"It was as you would refer to it, desolate," Cameron added.

Frowning, Monica said, "That's horrible! So living here has given you a chance to lead a normal life?"

"Much more normal than before," Cameron said with a tiny smile. "We stay as much out of sight as we can, but when it came to helping the school raise money for a good cause, we felt we had to help."

"We had fun doing it too," Delilah added. "We have a good family and a great place to live now, and I would not trade that for anything."

"You are fitting well into society?" Monica asked.

"Fairly well, yes," Cameron said. "We understand people become nervous when confronted with something strange, so we have tried to be very careful not to alarm anyone. "

"We succeed, most of the time," Delilah agreed.

"So your race is very close to human? You look just like us," Monica said.

Cameron and Delilah looked at each other, then Cameron said, "We are much different. Yes, we do have a human like exterior. Our internal structure is metallic based, not calcium based like yours is. We also have a very much higher metallic/silicone content in our nervous system. You can call it essentially wire. We are constructed much differently, would you like to see?" Cameron shifted and slid an arm out of her jacket.

"You arm looks the same," Monica noted.

"Not on the inside," Cameron said and produced a knife.

"Ahh, hold on, are you going to cut yourself?" Monica asked nervously.

"Yes, I was going to show you the inside of my forearm."

"Please don't," Monica said with a wince. "I'm sure if anyone really wants to see, we can get x-rays or something."

"Cam?" Delilah asked to get her attention, then shook her head.

"Yes, please don't," Monica agreed. "I'd rather hear about your husband. Is he like you?"

"No, John's human," Cameron said and slid her arm back into the sleeve.

"And you have a child with him?"

"Yes, Joan is six months old," Cameron replied.

"So you are sexually compatible with humans," Monica concluded.

"Compatible for the act, yes. Due to the differences between us, it took some engineering to my internals to be able to grow a baby. The details of what had to be done is classified, but now myself and Delilah are able to have children. Joan is a hybrid with qualities of both John and myself."

"You had surgery so you were able to conceive," Monica said.

"Alterations," Delilah told her. "It wasn't true surgery as you know. It also did not harm us in any way. The alterations have allowed us to be true wives to John," she explained.

Monica nodded and said, "You mentioned your bone structure is metallic based instead of calcium. Was that part of the difficulty in conceiving?"

"DNA differences were a large concern, yes," Cameron told her. "Joan is healthy, which to me, is the most important thing. From scans, it appears that Joan has inherited much of my structure and John's as well. As I said, she is a true hybrid and so far appears to be very intelligent. For an example, Joan's human brain has more conductive material in it, hence giving her the ability to think faster, hear and see better. Her bones are mostly metallic based, but do contain calcium and marrow like human bone does. Joan is also very strong for her age."

"And I'm next," Delilah reminded her.

Cameron nodded and said, "Two point one."

"Excuse me?" Monica asked.

"Joan is One point One, my first child. Delilah's will be Two point One, her first child."

Monica shook her head wearing a big grin. "You really do enjoy having fun with that."

Straight faced, Cameron said, "It's our thing."

"There is no danger of running out of numbers, neither of us plan to have nine children," Delilah explained.

"Yes, we do not want to chase John away or give him mental problems."

"We feel eighteen children may do that," Delilah said firmly.

Monica let out a chuckle. "I must say, this is the most fun interview I've ever done, as well as the most shocking. Do either of you have any future plans?"

"Home and family," Cameron said.

"Yes, as I said before, we have both and God help anyone who tries to hurt our family," Delilah stated.

Monica looked over at someone off camera. "I am very sad to say that our time is up. I want to thank both of you for this interview, and wish you both the best of luck."

They all got up and exchanged hugs. Standing between them, Monica said, "Thing One and Thing Two, both very kind and stout visitors from someplace else!"

The scene changed back to the news room where the men behind the desk went on about the interview they'd just seen, and wondering if a nuclear war had destroyed Cameron and Delilah's planet. They also wondered how many other 'survivors' of this disaster made it to Earth.

.

Cameron and Delilah said their goodbye's to the staff, mounted their motorcycles and roared off. As they suspected, a reported followed them in a car. They turned off on a narrow dirt track, leaving him behind.


	27. Chapter 27

CH 27

The news programs and talk shows were abuzz with the interview Cameron and Delilah had given. The internet was also flooded with discussion about where they might have come from and how many other 'visitors' were around and if they were benevolent, or here to take over the planet. Hollywood writers were hard at work to make a movie about people fleeing a planetary nuclear disaster to find a new home. Unlike the Battlestar Galactica series, only the one planet was involved, and the main story was the struggle of the survivors to get off planet and rebuild their lives somewhere.

Two weeks after the nationwide flood of information and speculation about Thing One and Thing Two permeated every communication form, the President came on to address the nation about what the government knew about them.

At his podium outside the White House, the President said, "The question of 'are we alone' has pretty much been answered. I would like to assure everyone that these are decent, hard working people who have already done much for our country. I will not call them visitors, because they are not. They came for asylum, and it was given. The two ladies known as Thing One and Thing Two are working hard to become American citizens. Although they are by marriage, they have learned English, our culture and laws, and gotten their GED's, and will most likely go on to college. They are by definition, legal aliens who needed a home and worked hard at achieving that goal. By everything we know, they have done their very best to fit seamlessly into society.

Looking at these ladies, we must also look at the world they came from. I don't mean through a telescope, but the events that brought them here. Nuclear disaster destroyed their planet. That is one terrible threat we must guard steadfastly against. We must ensure that what happened to them, never happens to us.

Now, I've been asked if there are more of these aliens in the country. I will tell you two things. Yes, there are, and no, I will not disclose who they are. They are private citizens who like Cameron and Delilah Connor, are working hard to fit in and be loyal Americans. What I will tell you is they too, are happy to have a home that is radiation free, and have already helped to defend this great country. We all should be thankful for them and ourselves that they were able to make it here.

The speculations that the government is hiding information about these new arrivals is true to the point that they have been working with government agencies, and are bound by National Security laws that prohibit them from discussing their involvement. I will also say that the rumors of experiments being done on them is entirely false, as is the rumors of them coming here to do harm are also false. They are being treated as they have striven to be, fellow Americans.

I will say also that this is a test of our ability to accept people who are truly different. They are a completely different race. Keep in mind they are also now Americans, just like all the rest of us. I urge everyone to treat them no differently that anyone else."

Cracking a grin, he added, "And I found they are also great football players. Thank you and God Bless America."

.

Leon Rains also watched the video of that football game and paused it several times to study what Thing One and Thing Two did. He backed up and watched a running Cameron get kneed hard in the ribs by the girl running at her. The girl just bounced off her. Cameron hadn't even slowed down.

That was impossible. Her rib cage should at least have been broken, no matter where she came from. The girl that kneed her was hurt, she was on the ground screaming. He single framed it through the same sequence. He saw no protection on Cameron's lower ribs, in fact, it was bare where the other girl's knee hit and bounced off her.

After he watched the game, he watched the interview. He wondered what was up with their claim of not being human. Then he saw the eye flash.

Suddenly, it all came together. His predecessor kept a file on the AI's he called 'terminators'. Supposedly, they had all been destroyed. Apparently, two weren't and this Connor had them. They were fast, they were extremely strong as well as bullet proof and able to plug into the internet. This John Connor had an army of two to race in and wreck first the California facility, then the one in Mexico. All the guns in the world could not stop these two. He had to smile at the Mexican army's failed attempt to stop all those terrorists who had attacked San Pueblo while two women who'd cause the devastation most likely just walked back home without a second look at them. John Connor had somehow stolen these two and reprogrammed them as his hit force.

Of course they had to have been at that warehouse all those mercs had attacked, and wiped them out. As his 'wives', wherever John Connor lived was a fortress.

"Bravo, John Connor, you are one smart bastard indeed," Leon admitted aloud.

The question now was, what could take down this pair of steel androids? On that, he had no information. Until he did, it was foolish to even attempt to get near them. They were intelligent weapons of the most dangerous kind. They could think for themselves, and being machines, most likely faster that any human could be. They were also bullet proof.

One thing was for certain, if he tried to build another facility, they would be coming for it. As he thought about that, he realized he didn't need to go after them. He need them to go after the next facility being planned on that island. That was when they would be the most vulnerable. There were only two ways to get there, sea and air. Arraigning for a single ship or airplane to be blown up was much simpler than attempting to find them and catch them at home unawares.

Leon went ahead full steam on his island project, and the one to catch these two in his trap when they decided to come visit.

.

Sitting on the lawn near one of the guest houses, John Cameron and Delilah were sitting around Joan and Allison as the babies were trying to stand up. John held Joan's hands as she pulled herself to into a standing position. She made it just before Allison did, holding onto Cameron's hands.

Joan smiled and let go of John's hand to clap at her success, then she fell backwards and let out a cry of frustration, her eyes flashing red. Being more careful, Allison turned and wobbled, but holding onto Cameron, she stayed upright. Joan turned over and crawled back to John to try again.

Cameron looked at Joan with concern. "John, she may have a broken accelerometer," she said in a flat tone.

John chuckled at her and said, "She doesn't Cam. She just needs to learn how to balance."

Allison let go with one hand to reach out to Delilah. Delilah took her hand. Allison wobbled a couple steps being supported by both women. Back on her feet, Joan saw this and reached out a single hand to Cameron. Cameron helped her wobble a couple steps over to her.

For the next few minutes, the babies walked from one adult to the other, ge-geing happily. Joan even took a couple unassisted steps and was caught by Delilah before she fell.

After completing a few cycles between parents, Joan tried to toddle away and got five steps before she fell. To John's surprise, Joan pushed herself upright and took six more steps before the fell again.

In the space of a day, they both learned to walk with an assist, be it a parent's hand, a bench or a wall.

Watching them, John said, "There goes finding them where you saw them last. It's baby chasing time."

Knowing Daniel was in the east wing of the mansion, Cameron got up and went over to Allison. "Let's go show Daddy what you can do." She offered Allison her hand, the baby took it. Or course Joan saw this and toddled / fell over to Cameron to join in on the walk.

.

Claire noted that the interview and 'official' recognition of Cameron and Delilah as aliens from some unknown place had a dual affect in the habits of the press. While their house was no longer surrounded by press people, their mailbox and e-mail box was packed with generous offers to 'fill in' details that were classified. Of course every one was chomping at the bit to find out where these alien girls lived, as well as how many more there were. Thankfully law enforcement kept the nut jobs with the silver flying saucer hats at bay. As of yet, no one had connected Daniel's work to the Connors, so their residence had yet to be found.

At school, Claire was called to give a lecture in the auditorium on Cameron and Delilah for the student body so the student's curiosity would be satisfied. By giving a large donation to the school, a few TV cameras were also in attendance in the back.

After the Principal announcer her, Claire walked out on stage. There was a large white screen to the side of the podium, and she had her trusty laser pointer.

"Hello everyone, I am Claire Young. Today I am going to discuss an item that has been hot in the news. I'm sure everyone has heard about Cameron and Delilah Connor who are widely known as Thing One and Thing Two. Many of you have seen them here at the school in charity sporting events. Speaking with them recently, I informed them of the talk I was giving and asked if there is anything they wished to convey to everyone. There was one thing they both insisted on me talking about."

Claire put up a picture of a city with broken, collapsed buildings under a dark sky, the sun weakly glowing orange through the thick cloud cover.

"Don't let this happen to you," she said firmly. "This is not a true photograph but a rendition of what their world was like when they left it. They suffered through a devastating nuclear war that killed billions and left the land and seas radioactive. Their planet was dying and the possibility of recovering, even after thousands of years into the future after everyone and everything died off, was very bleak. The cause of this devastation was handing over control of their large weapons to an advanced AI. Their military realized this AI was doing things they did not want or expect. When they tried to shut it down, it saw this as an attack on itself and nuked the planet to protect itself. A long war ensued, and while the AI was eventually put down, their planet was essentially destroyed."

Claire looked over the audience and said, "Some think that can never happen here. Our government would never be so foolish. Think again. There was a project called Sky Net that until recently, was being worked on to remove human error from the nuclear weapons program. Sky Net was an AI. Tactically intelligent, but that was all it knew. Things like compassion, negotiation, reasoning in things other than how to win was never imparted to it. With the help of others, Cameron and Delilah destroyed it before it was capable of doing this" she said, motioning to the picture, "To our planet. Cameron and Delilah saved us from a similar fate as they suffered."

The next picture showed Cameron outside sitting on grass holding a baby that was reaching up to play with her hair.

"This is Cameron and her baby, Joan," Claire explained. "There are significant differences in her physical makeup from ours. Humans are purely carbon based life. That is not true for Cameron and Delilah. Yes, they do have substantial carbon in them. They also have a large quantity of silicone as well as an organic metal. We have bones made of calcium. Their bones are metallic. I'm sure everyone saw the football game where Cameron got kneed in the ribs. The player who kneed her ended up with a shattered knee. It would be the same as if she had rammed her knee into metal plate. Their connecting tissue, ligaments and muscle contain this same high amount of metal as their skeletal structure. That is what gives them their strength and stamina. Their nervous system contains large amounts of silicone and copper. While we have white blood cells to defend against things like infection and disease, they have what they call nanites. These nanites also help repair damage to their bodies.

In almost every way, they are very similar to us, yet very different, which makes little Joan here all but a miracle. Cameron's husband is human. Joan is a hybrid of her parents, with qualities of each. So far, Joan is growing faster than normal, but healthy. She is a delightful child and just as curious as any other baby. Like her mother, Joan looks and acts completely human."

Claire paused and scanned the audience. "If I had to put label on Cameron and Delilah's race, I think the best one would be 'cyborg'. Although that is not truly correct, it is the closest I can come to describing them. As you can see by the picture, I have been to their house and tutored them so they could get their GED's. They think the 'Thing One and Thing Two' nicknames are hilarious, and have a fun time with it. If I didn't know what they were, I would have never guessed they were not human. They laugh and have a good time, they get angry, they love, they show every emotion that we do. For a few reasons, they like to live privately. One I can tell you is that there are those who want to do harm to them. Not that they can't defend themselves, but not wanting to get into conflict, they choose to stay out of sight as much as possible. The government is keeping a close eye on them, mainly to be sure they are left alone to enjoy the peace they can finally have on what they call Earth, paradise. To come from such a devastated place, it truly is paradise for them. A place where they can have a family and raise their children with radiation free air and a stable, healthy living environment."

Claire turned off the projector and said, "There is much I can't say about these two women that has to do with them and various government agencies. One thing being how they got here. Some day, that information may be declassified, but for now it is a carefully guarded secret. Obviously, we want to learn all we can about them, but it is being done with their cooperation and non-invasively. To discover they can successfully mate with humans was a shock to many and a complete joy for them. They can have their family. As the President said, this is a true test for us to accept those who are different from us. They are learning from us as we are learning from them. Let's all make sure that the lessons we all learn are good ones. Thank you for your time."

Claire left the stage sure she was going to be swamped by reporters. Thankfully, the only ones she met back stage were a few of her fellow teachers. They were bad enough after hearing what she just said.

"They really are aliens?" Tamara cried as she stared at Claire.

"Do you know how they got here?" a gray haired science teacher named Tom asked.

One of the English teachers, Mary, eyed Claire and asked, "If they needed tutoring, why didn't anyone ask me? I AM an English teacher!"

"We need to find out how treat them if they get sick!" The Biology teacher, Mr. Tanner, insisted. "Do the have any germs or viruses that might be harmful to humans?"

"They are fine," Claire replied to the crowd. "Look, Cameron and Delilah are perfectly healthy and can heal themselves, they had no strange germs, bugs or whatever that will harm anyone. I was picked to tutor them because Cameron's my …." she immediately clapped her mouth shut. Ooops, she almost spilled the beans.

"She's your what?" Tamara asked, watching Claire intently.

"Friend," Claire stated. "I knew her before I knew what she was, OK?"

"For how long?" Takara asked, eyeing her.

Claire let out a sigh and said, "Cameron's been here for a few years that I know of."

"Did they come out and tell you what they were? Or did you find out by accident?" Tom asked.

Claire said, "There was an event a short while back, Delilah … saved me and Allison from being kidnapped. Cameron bought me the Mercedes right after that so people wouldn't know my car and try again."

"Damn! Wish I had friends like that!" Tamara announced.

Claire let out a snorting chuckle. "There's so much more you don't know, and I can't tell you," she said with a shake of her head. "It's not all fun and games, believe me. They are some of the nicest people I know, and what they've been through … well, let's just say it's given me nightmares."

Tamara pointed a finger at Claire, "Yeah, OK, your car was found in back of a store with a van and a few dead guys. Maurice told me about that. He said Homeland Security came and took up the case."

"Jesus! Claire, what happened?" Tom asked.

Claire eyed him and asked, "You saw the charity football game right? Imagine one of them finding three men holding me and Allison at knife point, and they got serious. What do you think would happen?"

"I'll be right back, don't move," Tamara stated. She ran out.

Claire thought she'd just screwed up and said way too much. Then Tamara came back and hooker her arm and said, "Principal said to get you out of here. Come on hon, we're leaving in my car." To the others, she said, "Watch our back"

Hurrying out the side door, Tamara towed Claire out a side entrance and went around the gym. She peeked out at the lot, then hurried Claire to her car. They got in, Tamara drove away.

"Where are we going?" Claire asked.

"Bar I know down on Redwood drive. It's local and quiet," Tamara told her.

"I have to pick up Allison at four thirty," Claire replied.

"Not today. You call Cameron and tell her you'll be late. You're going to come with me to relax."

Claire stared at her.

Glancing at Claire, Tamara raised an eyebrow. "You think I don't know Cameron watches your baby? I got eyes, girl. At the games, you were pretty tight with Cameron and her family. Babies even sitting side by side almost like they were sisters or something and you fed them both. After the game, Cameron went over and played with them. Don't go telling me different. Now, give her a call, happy hour starts at four, and that's when we'll really get started."

Claire relented and called Cameron to let her know she was going to be late and where she'd be. It wasn't that she didn't trust Tamara, but others who might see her.

The place Tamara pulled into looked more like someone's house than a bar. The only hint it wasn't was that the front was all parking lot and the garage had a regular door instead of an overhead door. There were only three cars and a motorcycle in the lot.

Following Tamara into the garage area, Claire saw a bar on one side with chairs along the bar. On the opposite wall were booths, Along the back wall were a few more booths that looked out a window at a fish pond. Despite being in a garage, the inside looked like a real bar with wine glasses in a rack overhead , a full length mirror behind the bar, a post that was adorned with ball caps from various military commands and odds and ends hanging on the wall including a set of motorcycle handlebars.

"Hey, Chad, gimme two strawberry coolers," Tamara announced as they went in.

The man behind the bar looked up. "Tamara! You're early," he said as he reached into a cooler to grab her request. He popped off the caps and handed them over.

"Thanks bro, Claire here needs to relax a bit," Tamara explained.

Chad beamed a smile at Claire and asked, "Kids drivin ya nuts?"

"Yeah," Claire said with an exaggerated sigh.

Pointing at the far booths, he said, "Best bet, go watch the fish. Nice an soothing to watch them swim around. Betcha need that, huh?"

"Yes, thanks," Claire replied.

Claire and Tamara went in the back and settled down facing each other in a booth. Outside, Claire noted the colorful Koi carp lazily swimming around in the pond. "This is nice," she said.

"Chad and his missus runs a nice quiet place here," Tamara agreed. "Hell, I can get more work done here, sippin wine coolers than I can at home. What keeps it nice it only locals come here. No hooligans. Ya know that TV show that was on, Cheers? It's kinda like that. I know just about everyone who comes in. Chad's wife Marla even does thanksgiving and Christmas dinners up in the dinning room for some less fortunate folks. They're good people."

"Sounds like it," Claire agreed. "I wouldn't even have known this was a bar."

"Adds to the homey feeling of the place," Tamara agreed. "At times, it's like a second home to me."

Claire sipped her wine cooler, watched the fish and made small talk with Tamara. Farther out into the yard, she watched three kids playing on a jungle gym. More people came in, greeting Chad, then headed upstairs. A coupe more came in and yelled a 'Hi' to Tamara before they took seats of joined the group upstairs. Music was coming from somewhere now, but not loud enough to disrupt her calm. Claire wet to take another sip and noted her bottle was empty. Tamara got them refills.

Three more wine coolers later a girl came over with a tray with two glasses of Pinya Coladas, complete with little umbrellas on them. "Hey, Tamara," she said and set the glasses down in front of them. "These are for you and your friend,"

"Hey, Penny, who's buying?" Tamara asked.

"She said not to tell you," Penny said, then glanced back along the wall.

"Tell her I said thanks."

"I will."

Claire watched the waitress return to the bar. There were several people now in booths along the wall. She didn't see anyone paying attention to them.

"Someone you know?" Tamara asked.

Claire shook her head. "This is the first time I've ever been here," she said. It then hit her, she'd told Cameron she was coming here. She looked at the patrons again. Halfway up the booths along the side, she noted a leather covered elbow. She smiled and said, "It figures."

"What figures?" Tamara asked.

Feeling nice and fuzzy-warm, Claire leaned closer and softly said, "Remember I told Cameron I'd be late and where we were going?" She looked down at their drinks and added, "If it's not her, it's Delilah. Those girls have bent over backwards to make sure nothing happens to me."

"They care about you," Tamara concluded.

"They do," Claire said with a smile. She took a drink and said, "These are yummy."

"They are," Tamara agreed, not taking a drink. "I take it they have latched onto you?"

"Us," Claire said firmly. "They treat Daniel real good too." Claire then frowned and softly said, "It's not fair. They are so wonderful, yet the things they …. have to do are so fucking frightening! Tamara, it's frustrating because they are fucking heros and I can't tell anyone! I want to shout it from the rooftops … but I can't."

.

Tamara noted Claire was beginning to tie one on. Seeing a tear form on Claire's face, she reached over and wiped it away. "That's sad, hon. Sounds like you're real proud of them."

"I am!" Claire stated. She took another long pull, emptying her glass then cast Tamara a stare and said, "Fuck those whimpy-assed movie heros! That's all special effects. You tell me, would Bruce Willis have a baby in the car on the way to the hospital, then right after the baby was checked out, leave the hospital not two hours later to race off to jump in a fuckin tank and head straight out to the battlefield?"

Tamara was speechless. It took her two tries to ask, "Cameorn did that?"

"She did!" Claire stated, then added, "And when she got back, she was fuckin tore up, I mean in places there was bone showing when she climbed out of that tank. I could see it was hit …" Claire stopped to squeeze her eyes shut. In a while, she said, "I never saw anything so horrible! She was covered in blood, but got out and came over to hold Joan just as gently as any mother would. I passed out from the sight of her. Later, when I woke up, she apologized to me"

Casting a look of pleading at her, Claire said, "She'd been covered up so her wounds didn't show, but why did she apologize to me? All I did was baby sit. SHE was the one who went out and got all shot up! It was HER who lived through whatever battle they were involved in and won. For how bad she looked, I had no idea why she was still alive. Yeah, Delilah also showed plenty of bullet holes in her, but Cameron was missing all her flesh on her shoulder, arm and half her head!"

"Good God," Tamara whispered, trying to imagine anyone living through such horrid wounds. "Maybe it looked worse than it was," she offered.

Claire shook her head. "No, I saw plenty of bone, I know what I saw."

Tamara had been focused on Claire. It wasn't until the leather clad figure settled down beside Claire and put an arm around her, that she saw Cameron in motorcycle leathers.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Cameron offered.

Claire turned and hugged Cameron tight. "No!' she said as firmly as a drunk could. "Don't you ever be sorry. You're a fucking hero, Cameron! Never think otherwise, and never deny yourself!"

Looking out Claire's teary eyes, Cameron smiled and said, "Yes, mother."

Tamara blinked. What was that? She stared at Cameron as she hugged a sobbing Claire. "But, you're too old to be Claire's child," she said.

Cameron cast a hard gaze at Tamara. In a flat tone, she said, "It would be best if you forgot everything Claire said. It is top secret information. Don't make me track you down and kill you." Her eyes then glowed red briefly.

Tamara's jaw dropped. Holy mother of God!s he thought. She knew in her gut Cameron wasn't exaggerating. This woman would indeed hunt her down. Holding up a hand, she quickly said, "I never heard nothing, OK? Claire's been all upset, I just wanted to take her out for a bit so she could unwind."

"And you made her cry," Cameron retorted in a hard tone.

"Whoa, hold on here," Tamara retorted, frowning at Cameron. "Claire's upset over the shit she's seen. I was just trying to let her loosen up a bit. You know, get things settled in her own mind. And what's this shit that she's your mother? You're damn near the same age."

"Classified," Cameron stated.

Claire burst out with a snort. "Yes, everything is classified. "I can't say how my daughter fought in a nuclear war, then came back in time to save us all." Looking at Tamara, she said, "That picture of devastation I showed during my talk? That wasn't some rendition, that was a real picture of LA in the year 2027, the year Cameron came from. In her timeline, Sky Net really did blow up the world. My little Allison allowed herself to be operated on to become a killing machine name Cameron. SHE came back to stop Sky Net and keep the war from happening," Claire stated. "Yeah, Tamara, Cameron is my little Allison who gave up her humanity to save it. Like I said, she's a real fucking super-hero."

Tamara covered her gaping mouth. _fuck me!_ she thought.

Keeping an arm around Cameron, Claire offered has a smile and said, "But now that's all over. My big girl can finally have a family of her own, and live a decent life. I say it's about time."

"No one must ever find out the truth," Cameron told Tamara. "The story of us coming from another world is more believable and easier to deal with. It will not cause a panic as the truth well might. That is why it has to remain a secret."

"Ok," Tamara said meekly. "So … how about another round?"

.

Cameron watched Tamara and the few others in the small bar. No one was taking undue notice of them, and by her vitals, Tamara was sincere, she only wanted to help Claire relax. Cameron decided she didn't have to terminate anyone.

By now, Cameron didn't have the heart to tell Claire what really happened to Allison in her time line. The woman insisted she was Allison, though greatly modified, so Cameron let her believe it. Knowing all she did now, Cameron wished she could go back to that floating prison and keep her new, clueless self from terminating Allison. To make up for that, she would do her best for Claire and baby Allison.

Getting another round of drinks, Tamara asked, "So, Cameron, you're not really an alien? Neither is Delilah?"

"Only in this time line. We did our job and stopped Sky Net and time travel. No one else is coming back to restart Sky Net," Cameron stated. "There is still the danger that someone else might try to make another AI like that so we must be vigilant against that threat."

"This is wild, I mean, if I didn't know you, I'd never believe it!" Tamara said. "What you're saying is, it's not over."

"It may never be over," Cameron told her. "People are trying to create AI's, but do not know how to make these AI's understand right from wrong. There is only one person who has successfully done so. It takes more than programming to make an artificial person."

"You're talking like these things need to go to school," Tamara said.

"Yes, school on morals and ethics to become able to fit into society and be beneficial," Cameron told her.

"This one you know of, the AI went to school?"

"John Henry was tutored on morals and ethics, yes. He is doing good work helping to ensure another Sky Net doesn't become active."

"You now him," Tamara concluded.

"We are friends," Cameron replied.

"Cameron, couldn't you teach these scientists how to make the AI's right? I mean, you if anyone, should know how," Tamara said.

"There is another who is doing just that. I'm here to be the hammer and punish those who don't listen."

"Cameron, what about Delilah?" Claire asked. "Didn't she come with you?"

Cameron knew Claire though much of Delilah too, so she only said, "Delilah was a leftover Sky Net terminator. With help, I subdued her and changed her programming so she can think for herself, instead of being a Sky Net slave. She decided she wanted to stay with us. She calls me sister because I'm the only other machine left that she knew of, as well as we do work well together. She needed to be accepted, so I got John to marry her as well."

"Cameron you're not just a machine," Claire scolded.

Tamara eyed Cameron with a look of wonder. "You're right," she said, "It's not near as disturbing thinking you're an alien, as it is knowing the truth. This is some screwed up shit."

"It is," Claire agreed. She clasped Cameron's arm and added, "And my girl is in the thick of it. I'm so proud of her." Letting out a light chuckle, she said, "I am so happy I can finally tell that to someone!"

Cameron noted Claire's blood alcohol level was way above the legal limit of driving. She offered Claire a smile and said, "I'm going to drive you home, I brought your car."

"My car?" Clair asked. "I left it at school."

"I ride a motorcycle there to retrieve it," Cameron explained.

Claire frowned at her and asked, "What about your motorcycle?"

"It's at school where I left it. John is going to pick it up," Cameron told her.

"NO ONE MOVE! THIS IS A ROBBERY!" a man with a sky mask on yelled as he came in holding an AR 15. Another masked man came in behind him to run behind the bar. That man had a pistol and yelled for Chad to open the cash register.

"Tamara, Claire, under the table now!" Cameron barked as she eyed the men. They hastily complied.

"Wallets and purses, NOW!" the gunman barked, pointing his gun at patrons.

Cameron stood up and pulled her ID and her 9mm from her back holster. "Halt! Officer of Homeland Security, drop your weapons!" she announced.

Both men aimed at her. The one near the booths closest to her barked, "Drop it lady, or we drop you! You can't get both of us before we kill your ass!"

In a fast motion, Cameron shot him between the eyes then turned and shot his surprised partner behind the bar between the eyes before he could react.

The place was dead silent as Cameron walked over to the bar. She peeked behind it to see the dead man on the floor staring up at nothing. To the wide-eyed Chad, she said, "Call the police."

Cameron put her gun away as she turned to the patrons. "Anyone hurt?" she asked.

People shook their heads, One younger man pumped a fist and cried, "Yes! That was awesome shooting! Bang, bang, both down and they never had a chance to shoot back!"

Cameron cast him a brief smile and said, "I ask everyone to stay in the area, you are all witnesses. The police will want to speak with you. Until the police arrive, please go outside and wait. Thank you for your cooperation. Be careful not to step in any blood."

"Ahh, Chad, can we take out drinks with us?" one guy asked.

Chad nodded and waved for him to go out. He looked at Cameron, and said, "Ma'am? My cash drawer's open, I gotta go out too?"

Cameron turned to him. "Please stand just outside the door, I will ensure no one touches your money."

.

Claire wasn't as shaken as Tamara was. Even though she was wobbly, Claire got a trembling Tamara up and guided her outside. She paused to give Cameron a hug and 'Thank you' on her way out.

Once outside, Tamara looked back at the bar, then asked, "Did you see that? Bang, bang, she killed them both in a heartbeat. She could'a been killed!"

Claire cast Tamara a drunken smile. "Not Cameron,' she said in a slur. "If my baby can take a hit from a fuckin rocket and make it back home, no bullet's gonna do much except piss her off. Those guys signed their own death certificates soon as they aimed at her."

.

The police came and interviewed everyone. Cameron showed them her badge and told her account of the incident from her place just inside the door. An ambulance came and took the bodies away, then Chad was allowed back in. As the scene settled down, Cameron went inside and asked Chad for a mop and bucket.

Grateful she'd stopped the robbery, Chad told her. "You saved my ass. Just have a seat, I'll get you something on the house."

"It's my mess, I'll clean it up," Cameron insisted.

Cameron had help cleaning up the blood from a few patrons who didn't go home, including Tamara. Claire passed out in a booth while she waited. Once the place was cleaned up, Cameron poured Claire into her car and drove her home.

Cameron was assured she was always welcome at Chad's place.


	28. Chapter 28

CH 28

Cameron spend the night at the Youngs' house to take care of Allison so Claire could sleep soundly undisturbed. Once the house was quiet she though more about the last time she'd seen Allison in the future, and snapped her neck because Allison had lied to her.

She really felt bad about that.

Allison had only done what she would do now, try to protect John. Cameron had killed her for it. Standing in the living room and monitoring the sleeping people in the house, she ran through a scenario of what would happen if she did find a time machine to go forward and stopped herself from doing that. It was something she wanted to do, but realized that future was not going to happen now. No terminators were going to capture Allison so her DNA could be copied and her memories put into Cameron's head. Allison was safe in this time line.

That got Cameron thinking on how to access the previous time line. The future she came from was not going to happen. If she was to save Allison, then she'd have to go to the original time line. That wasn't possible, or was it? Cameron spent her next hours working on a theory of how to access a time line that had been changed..

.

Catherine Weaver looked at the latest intel John Henry had collected. A new company, AI Experts, wasn't hard to find. They had a site up showing women in scanty clothing with 'joints' drawn on their knees, elbows, necks and shoulders. Located on an island in the Philippines, supposedly help give the locals a good wage and better living conditions, they openly stated their goal was to make true synthetic people that could undertake dangerous tasks like deep mining, handling radioactive material and space exploration.

Looking at the site, then what John Henry had hacked into, Catherine saw this company was serious. Or at least they wanted people to think they were serious. A couple robotics companies and a sex doll company in China was already working with them on the bodies. The AI portion was to be made right there on their beautiful island.

So far, John Henry found no outside access to any computers that were on that island. Another suspicious thing was that this was a new company, yet were spending huge amounts of money to build a facility from the ground up. That had to be finished before any research could be started.

Catherine had John Henry search out every name having anything to do with that company to look for previous AI or robotics experience. Either whoever started this company was clueless as to what happened to other advanced AI projects, or it was a blatant attempt to get the Connors to go destroy it. She decided to collect everything John Henry was able to find out and make a personal visit to the Connors to discuss what to do about this company.

.

Today was foyer cleaning day. Daniel brought his equipment, and Cameron brought the help. The walls of the foyer were two stories tall, and the stairs were also considered part of the foyer, as was the huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was a big job requiring ladders and a rolling platform lift to get the all day job done. Daniel dreaded it, for it was usually ten hours straight of going up and down ladders and lifting devices. Cameron overheard Daniel telling Claire what a job it was, so she decided he could use the assistance.

Daniel arrived in his moving van loaded with equipment and backed up to the front steps. The doors to the mansion opened to show Cameron, Delilah and Jesse all wearing tube tops, jean shorts and sneakers. John wore an undershirt, shorts and sneakers.

When Daniel came around to the back of the truck, John said, "We're helping you today. So, what do we do?"

Daniel looked at them, especially Delilah who's curves were very noticeable and Cameron's sexy form. His daughter was going to grow up to look like that! He'd be beating boys off with a club. It took him a moment to say, "Ahhh, you don't have to do that. You're paying me good to keep this place up."

"But we do." Cameron stated. "Later today, we're having Allison's birthday party, so we don't want you exhausted. Today, we work for you, so get us started."

"Work for me?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, today you are a supervisor," Cameron stated. "Tell us what to do."

Daniel chuckled. "Ok, then,"he said and opened up the back of the truck. "First thing, the ramp has to go between the back of the truck and the top step, then all the warning cones need to go on every entrance to the foyer," he said motioning to the cones.

They trooped down and got started. In no time, the cones were up and they were carrying in ladders, cleaning machines and pushing in the 'small' lift. The large lift was electric, Daniel drove that into the house. Daniel explained to them how to clean from 'the top, down'.

John was having fun riding up in the small lift to dust the chandelier. Although there wasn't much dust on it, after he wiped down the bulbs and polished the gold structure, it seemed to glow a bit brighter. He also saw there were about a hundred bulbs on this thing. This alone was going to take a couple hours to do. There was a lot of structure to this thing.

Cameron went up on the big lift with Daniel to use soft dust mops to clean the ceiling. From the second floor, Delilah had a soft dust mop on a long pole to get the ceiling she could reach from there. Jesse cycled from moving John to his next position to running for cleaning supplies and passing them up to the people on the lifts.

By lunch time, they had worked their way down the the wall trim, a ledge that ran all the way around the room at the second floor level, and cleaned the visible portion of the second floor.

Delilah and Cameron had a plan to take care of the trim ledge. Rags on each hand and a bottle of cleaner hooked on their tube tops between their breasts, they climbed over the second floor railing at each end and lowered themselves (as Daniel winced) to hang from the ledge and 'wipe' their way around the room.

"What happens when you meet by the door?" he asked.

"We drop down," Delilah told him.

Daniel got the big lift and drove it over by the door.

Cameron noticed first a problem was developing. Every time she used the bottle to squirt some cleaner on the ledge top and the scroll work that angled back to the wall, her top dropped just a bit. Delilah didn't take notice until the top of her breasts were bulging out.

Seeing John was watching them, she decided to let it sneak it's way down.

Cameron also got a devious idea and called, "John, bring the lift up when we get to the door."

"OK," he said, not yet realizing they both had drooping tops.

While Cameron and Delilah were working their way around the room, Jesse and Daniel got started on the ladder work with the lower walls along the back.

The top of the rounded front windows were just below the trim. Delilah's top dropped as she got to the corner. Cameron's dropped just before. Now John could see they were both dangling free.

"Ahhh, girls? Your tops?" he asked.

"We'll get those after you pick us up at the door," Delilah assured him.

'OK, they were facing the wall. Not a big deal,' he thought. It was fun watching them. Their arm motions were providing a nice jiggle as they worked their way along.

.

Outside, Derek just came back from getting the cake and party favors for the party. Seeing motion, he looked up at the top of a front window, to see a pair of big breasts wiggling their way by. He stopped short to watch. Softly, he said, "Damn, that has to be Delilah. Mark's right, she has a helluva set of canons."

Once the eye candy had wiggled out of the window, he noted who had to be Cameron passing by the other window, her globes dangling and wiggling with her movements. "Damn! John's one lucky bastard," he said in a grumble as he headed for the kitchen door.

.

John retrieved his wives from their cleaning task. He lifted up under them. They dropped down into the lift to stand on the lower safety rails, putting their chests even with his face. Hugging him at the same time they boobie-slapped him in the face as they giggled.

Daniel heard their laugh and looked over. He quickly turned back and braced himself to keep from falling off the ladder.

Their mission complete, Cameron and Delilah pulled their tops back up.

"Hope you're thirsty, John," Delilah teased.

"Very thirsty," Cameron added with a grin.

"I'm in boobie heaven," John replied with his own wide grin.

.

Sarah came out holding the toddler's hands as she announced it was time for lunch. Seeing Cameron and Delilah, the little girls towed Sarah over to them. "Me me!" they cried.

Cameron picked up Joan, Delilah got Allison. "Have you been a good girl?" Cameron asked Joan, grinning at her. Joan grinned back and pulled at Cameron's top.

"My baby's hungry?" Cameron asked. She pulled up one side of her tube to expose a breast and cradled Joan so she could drink. Delilah did the same with Allison.

Daniel tried not to see them breast feeding. Turning to look at the room, he said, "We're over halfway done, just the lower walls and the floor. I really appreciate the help." Thankfully, Cameron and Delilah put their robes on to hide the nursing babies by the time they got to the dinning room.

They were down to the floor when Catherine Weaver arrived in the early afternoon. Most of the equipment was back on the truck, only mops, buckets and buffers were at work when Catherine came up the driveway. The 'crew' was sitting on the steps, waiting for the floor to dry. John, Cameron and Delilah got up to meet her.

Seeing they had a guest, Daniel called, "I can finish up, thanks again for the help!"

Catherine eyed this as they came over. Seeing their dress, she said, "You can hire people to do that for you."

"We know, we were just helping for the day," Cameron told her, then asked, "You have news."

"I do. Get everyone together."

.

In 'John's Office', that had a smaller table in the near conference room sized place, Catherine went over everything John Henry found, and her suspicions. John was in heavy thought.

Sarah asked, "Is there any connection to Kaliba?"

"None yet that we have found," Catherine replied. "For a new company to pop up and spend nearly a billion on a new facility, makes me believe that somehow, Kaliba is connected with them."

"We keep chopping off the arms, but the head lives," Derek noted. "This is just another arm."

"So, how do we find the head?" Jesse asked.

"This is like finding the original Sky Net site," John said. "We didn't get it attacking the ones we knew about. We got them by following the trail from one flunkie to the next until we found the terminator that had the information we wanted. This is going to be the same thing. We find out who's building it, then look to find out who's over him. Even if we get that site, another will probably come up."

"John's right," Cameron added. "We need to infiltrate and follow our way up the chain of responsibility."

"I have John Henry looking at bank records, and we have some names we can investigate," Catherine told her.

John nodded and said, "We start with the highest one we can contact. I'm thinking we pose as investors and start there while John Henry tracks the money."

"I can do that," Cameron offered. "Once I know who to contact, I can duplicate his voice after I find out who his boss is."

"Derek and I can pose as the investors, we've done that before," Sarah offered.

"I can duplicate voices too, Cam, let me help," Delilah offered.

Cameron nodded to her.

"We also get Colonel Watson involved," Catherine said. "His people can help us track them."

"Where's this island?" John asked.

"In the Philippines," Catherine told him.

"Then Homeland Security isn't going to be able to do much," he noted.

"They can give us equipment we don't have access to," Catherine stated. "Things like listening devices connected straight to a satellite, insect sized drones, and a secure computer link to the island."

"Someone will need to be there, on the ground," John noted.

"Derek and I should go," Jesse said. "Cameron and Delilah have their faces plastered all over the internet. Sarah and John, although they are not being perused, are still wanted terrorists, therefore recognizable."

Cameron told her, "I can teach you enough computer skills to hook up a satellite connection to a computer. John Henry then can get into their system."

Thinking as he spoke, John said, "Fake Australian ID's, and you can apply for work at that facility from Australia. That shouldn't raise any concerns. If you came from the US, I think they would watch you closely, if not outright reject your resumes."

"Make mine Security Administrator," Derek said.

"Housekeeping manager," Jesse said. Seeing odd looks, she added, "Cleaning crews get into every space, and of course, I'll have to inspect after they are done to ensure a good job was done."

"I will do everything possible to help get you into those positions," Catherine assured them.

John shook his head and grumbled, "I can't think of anything else we can do right now."

"We have a start, and for the moment, this is all we can do," Catherine assured him.

Jesse bumped Derek with her elbow and said, "We have to work on your Aussie accent."

.

It was all Claire could do to not tell anyone about Allison's birthday party. All Daniel told her was it was going to be at the mansion. By some odd coincidence, Joan's birthday was close to Allison's, only a year later. They were separated by days, so Cameron asked they have their birthday party together. Claire did manage not to say anything, even to Tamara who took note Little Allison's birthday was coming up.

The fact Allison's birthday was coming up got her thinking. It was Cameron's birthday also. She'd talked to John and found our they considered Cameron as having a 'built day', since she was built as a terminator, but the day was never truly set because neither knew for sure what day that was. Claire insisted Cameron's built day be on the same day. It was only right.

With a trunk full of gifts for Cameron, Allison and Joan, Claire went back to the office after her last class to get set to go to the party. She was at her desk when the assistant Principal, Ed Bower, came over to her.

"Mrs. Young, do you have a moment?" he asked.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

Ed cast a look out the window and asked, This may seem like a personal question, but what does your husband do for a living?"

Claire eyed him. "Not that it's relevant at all to my job, but he has a successful cleaning service," she told him.

"I see. I was just wondering how you can afford such an expensive automobile. I looked up what those cost, and even the Superintendent can't afford one," he said.

"It was a gift," Claire stated.

"That is one hell of a gift."

"It was, and totally unexpected. May I ask why that is relevant to anything?" she asked, becoming wary of him.

Ed shrugged and said, "Well as you know, one of my jobs is to ensure proper ethics are followed. Your husband must have a very good business to even afford the taxes on something like that."

"He does well." Claire stated. "Are you implying something, Mr. Bower?"

"Just curious. I also noted you know those 'Things' that make the news very well."

"Things?" Claire asked.

"The two women who are reportedly aliens. You said you tutored them. I take it you were paid for your services."

Claire eyed him unkindly and said, "Mr. Bower, if you have a point, come out with it. If not, I have things to do."

"It just seems like you are involved in … unusual circumstances."

"Are you accusing me of wrong doing?" Claire asked.

"No, I have no evidence to support that."

Claire picked up her purse and locked her desk drawers. "Then good day, Mr. Bower!" she said firmly and left, and went straight to the Principal's office. Not long after she went in, she came back out.

Ed Bower was hanging around, waiting to follow her. His chances were dashed when the Principal came out and hooked a finger at him. "Mr. Bower, into my office."

.

Ed sat down across from the Principal, who didn't look happy.

"Explain why you were questioning Mrs. Young about her personal life," he asked flatly.

Ed let out a huff. "Is is or is it not my job to ensure all our faculty hold themselves up to the highest standards of the school?"

"Any what standard has Mrs. Young not upheld?"

"I don't know," Ed admitted. "That was why I was questioning her about her car that is way too expensive for her pay grade. She claims it was a gift, but even then, I cannot think of a reason why such an expensive gift would be given unless there was something not quite legal about the reason she received it."

"That's it?" The Principal asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sir I fear the Youngs may be into something nefarious," Ed stated. "If they are, it is best to find our before whatever it is, becomes a national news item that smears our school."

"Mr. Bower, you are overstepping your bounds," The Principal stated flatly. "You concerns are inside the school. Inappropriate relations with students, possible inappropriate actions in class, cheating on tests or having tests leaked to students beforehand. Items like THAT are your concern, not where a teacher got her nice car from. What you did with Mrs. Young today was borderline harassment. If you continue it will be harassment. Do I make myself clear."

Ed frowned and said, "Mrs. Young is involved with those aliens and may be involved with the government!"

"NOT your concern. If I hear of another complaint, you will be going before a board of inquiry with the Superintendent. Choose your actions wisely. That's all. I expect to hear nothing else of this."

Ed left. He got to his car and got on his cell phone. "Yes, it's Ed Bower … no, I couldn't follow her … No, I can't prove she's a stinking Republican working with the government … I know all signs point to it … Just give me some time, I'll get what you need … hey, don't threaten me. I can always let certain people know who's running this spying operation. I get my money, or your chances this next election are going to be hurting … That's right … I know, and I'm on your side as long as I get paid for what I do." He shut his phone off. Grumbling to himself, he drove to the Young's home. They should be there.

.

Claire took the normal route to Cameron's house. She checked for anyone following her, and made turns to circle a block and wait to see if anyone followed. Once on the right road, she went a half mile too far and came back. Good, no one else was on the road. She turned and drove up the long drive to the house. It was a pain doing all that, but she had to help keep her daughters safe.

Getting up to the house, she parked behind Daniel's big truck. Getting the box out of her trunk, she took it in to find the foyer somehow looked even brighter and more impressive.

"Hey, Claire," Mark hailed as he came in from the back. "We're all outside on the patio, I'm just going in to get some beer."

"Thanks Mark." She said and went out back.

The patio was surrounded by a baby-fence to contain the two little girls in dresses that were cycling around on their feet. Colorful balloons drifted in the air on strings, that was until Joan or Allison tugged on them and played with them until they broke loose, then the girl responsible would giggle as the balloons flew free. John and Derek were at the grill. Claire smelled burgers, dogs and sausage cooking. She loved that smell. Delilah was by the presents, guarding them from exploration until the time came to open them. She spotted Cameron at the other end of the patio, coaxing Joan to not shake the metal baby-fence too hard.

'My god, is that kid strong,' Claire thought. Well, then again, look at her mother.

Claire made her way over to the presents and added Allison and Joan's presents to the pile. She then took the papers and the card out of the box and headed for Cameron as she waved hi to people.

"Me me!" Allison cried and toddled her way to Claire, arms out to be picked up.

"Hi, sweetie!" Claire beamed. She scooped up her child, pausing at the weight. Allison was getting heavy.

Pointing an arm at a nearby blue balloon, Allison cried, "Boon!"

"Yes, dear, that's a balloon."

"Boon, bye!" Allison cried and reached out for the string. Claire got close so Allison could grab the string. Allison did and tugged at the string until it broke, then let go. "Bye boon!" she cried happily as it rose skyward.

Well, the balloons were for the kid's amusement. Claire was sure Cameron had not planned on that kind of amusement though.

Meeting Cameron, and a Joan who also wanted to be held, since Allison was being held, the mothers met with their babies. Claire handed Cameron the papers and the card and said, "The card is for you. The papers are for you, Delilah and John. S.A.T. tests are being given soon. There's a web site on there for the practice test."

"Thank you!" Cameron beamed. She looked at the envelope and pulled the card out, and froze. There was a happy looking mechanic on the front holding a wrench up high. The caption read : Happy built Day!

"I don't know when that was, and I understand neither you nor John know the date either. I just wanted to recognize it," Claire explained.

Cameron bit her lip. Her Built Day. Claire was celebrating the day she came to be, and would snap Allison's neck in the future. Feeling her hand begin to twitch, she put Joan down on her feet. She wanted to tell Claire that this lead to Allison's death. The good will gesture by Claire wasn't lost on her, neither was Claire's proud smile she was beaming at Cameron. Claire had been so nice, so supportive of her, Cameron could not tell her the truth. The sensations in her now were threatening to overload her systems. Cameron dulled her senses down to a terminator numb. When she opened the card to see the writing, Even her dulled senses were making her stressed.

 _To the best, most heroic daughter in the world. Happy Built Day. Mom._

Cameron opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her response was cycling between admitting what she did, and stopping the conflict with a simple thank you. She worked her jaw to say one thing, then shifting to the other, she still didn't speak. Her left hand was quaking now. She dropped the card and to give Claire some reaction, she held the woman, her left fist closed to stop it from opening and shutting by itself. No longer seeing Claire's face, she managed to get one true statement out. Her voice was weak as she said, "For you, I wish I could go back and change what happened. It's not possible."

"You did what you had to do," Claire said firmly and petted her hair. She also felt a ridge running down the back of Cameron's head. "What happened here?" she asked, feeling the ridge.

"John had to fix me. I got a hole in my head from an explosion."

Claire teared up at the horrors her daughter had suffered. "Hopefully, you won't be hurt any more," Claire told her.

Before she knew she meant to, Cameron said, "Mom, I cannot say how much it means to me that you accept me now. I love you, Mom."

"I love you," Claire replied. "Now, let's see to the children, Joan is showing Allison how to shake that fence."

 **CRASH**

Thankfully, both girls landed on top of the fence.

.

The party went well, and like the balloons, the girls didn't exactly enjoy their presents the way the adults had planned. The stuffed bunny Joan got, was decapitated with a "Ga!", sending bits of stuffing flying that both girls giggled at. Not to be outdone, Allison slammed a hand down on her new sippy cup. Not hitting it square, the cup shot off her high chair table to peg Sarah square in the forehead. To the girls, that was hilarious. Not so to Sarah.

Chuckling, John said, "I think we got the Terror Twins here." Seeing Sarah eye him, he shrugged and said, "Something I read."

Mark chuckled and said, "I want to be a fly on the wall when these kids start school."

The party was fun for Joan and Allison and Daniel, John, Derek and Mark who watched the girl's antics. They quickly noted that what one girl came up with, the other followed suit. Allison decided to plant her face in her cake to take a bite. Joan did the same. They giggled at each other, their faces covered with frosting, and plunged in for another bite. It took longer to clean up the mess of smeared cake, scattered toys and ripped up wrappings that were all over the place, than it did to set up for the party.

Tired from the day's activities, Allison was asleep by the time Claire got her into the car. Claire was glad, for she was feeling pretty whipped as well.

.

Derek and Jesse left for Australia the following day to try and get jobs on the new facility being built in the Philippines. John, Cameron and Delilah went ahead and registered for the S.A.T. tests. Looking at colleges, they picked a local one so they could still live at home. The closest one was College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita. A distance, but it was within driving distance.

On the day of the tests, Cameron made sure Joan had plenty of bottled milk before they left. Sarah had baby sitting duties. Since Mark had to work, Sarah was alone in the huge house with Joan.

As suspected there was a large crowd at the college. All three wore sunglasses as they headed into the registration office. They joined the line outside and after a 20 minute wait, the line moved enough to get them into the office. They were given their forms, then had to fill them out and wait in another line to turn them in. Once that was done registering for the tests and applications for school, they were directed into a classroom with all the other applicants.

A prune faced older woman gave them instructions, then the tests were handed out. A few professors walked the isles as the tests were given out, the meandered up and down isles as the applicants worked. John took a little longer with his test, Cameron and Delilah patiently waited while he completed it. Once John was done, they handed in their tests.

All was going well until a few applicants who were also done, were waiting in the hallway. The smiling boys had their cell phones out. A young Hispanic man said, "Hey, you're Thing One and Thing Two!"

Cameron only cast him a quick smile. John tried to lead the girls around them, the boys blocked their way.

"We want your autographs and some pictures," another boy said.

"Don't make me move you," Delilah said flatly.

"Guys! Get out of the way," John said firmly.

"If we don't?" A large boy who probably had a football scholarship asked.

Cameron stepped up and pushed him aside. Delilah followed suit, plowing her way through the pack. John was only able to stay between them. Noting one boy jump back at them, He sidestepped, hooked his foot behind the boy, hand on the boy's chest and threw him flat. John started to walk away.

The football player shouted, "Hey, you wanna fight?"

"We want to leave, so don't be stupid." John stated.

"You calling me stupid!" the football player roared.

Cameron and Delilah spun to bracket John.

"We are if you refuse to let us leave in peace," Cameron stated.

"What's going on out here?" a professor asked as he peeked his head out the door.

Delilah pointed to the large boy and said, "They are harassing us."

The large boy flexed and eyed Delilah angrily and whispered, "You better watch it, Bitch!"

"Really? What are you going to do?" she replied crisply.

"Move along!" the Professor stated.

John and his wives turned and left. The football player followed them.

They all knew he was back there.

John said, "Don't hurt him too bad."

"Broken arm?' Delilah asked.

"I think we better just toss him away," Cameron said.

They got into the parking lot and the boy behind them barked, "I'm not done with you!"

"I got it," Delilah said and turned to walk back towards the boy. She noted they had an audience standing outside the building.

"I'm gonna teach…" was all the angry boy got out. Delilah stepped up, planted a hand on his chest and pushed him back to fly off his feet and hit the ground ten feet away.

"It is me who will teach you a lesson in respect," Delilah stated.

The boy got up holding the back of his head, He roared out and charged her. Delilah did a flip over him, and grabbed him by the waistband of his pants, stopping his charge short. He tried to turn and swing at her, but she ducked and hauled him around in a circle, bringing him off his feet. After two complete circles she let him go to fly another 20 feet before rolling to a stop.

"Be smart, be on your way!" Delilah called to him.

He got up and glared at her.

"Leave her alone before she really kicks your ass!" another boy who was watching yelled.

The football player pointed an angry finger at Delilah and growled, "I will get you!"

"No, you won't," she replied, and walked back to John and Cameron.

"I hope he doesn't get in," John said with a sigh.

Delilah cast him a smirk and asked, Why not? I can humiliate him any time he likes."

"Exactly," John told her.

.

With their passports, Derek and Jesse went to Perth and got an apartment. Immediately, they began the job hunt, looking for work in the Philippines. In their resumes, they referenced Catherine Weaver at Zeira, and Cameron Phillips as their supervisor and Delilah Morte as the HR rep. After the day of filling out forms, they got a couple six packs and relaxed, waiting for news.

.

The Sports Commissioner at Santa Clarita was looking over the list of newly accepted students. His focus was on whether they had sports scholarships so he could alert the coaches. So far, he'd found some gymnasts and three baseball players and only two football players. Going through the list three names got his attention. Cameron Connor Delilah Connor, John Connor.

He stared at the names. Watching the news, he'd heard about those two girls and watched them play football at that charity game. They had no men's and women's football here, just the Football Program. These girls were fast, and pretty strong, despite their size.

His secretary came in. "Sir, we have a video of a disturbance from one of the new students. A Greg Winters, he's coming on a football scholarship."

"What was this disturbance?"

"He attacked a girl, Sir."

"How bad is she hurt?" was his immediate question.

"She's not sir, Mr. Winters was treated and released. Scrapes and bumps, nothing serious."

"She beat him?"

"Yes, Sir. He came at her, and she threw him backwards, about ten feet. He came at her again, and she threw him twice as far."

"She did that to a football player?" he asked with a squeak.

"Yes sir. Picked him off the ground and threw him. It was Delilah Connor he attacked."

He quickly looked at Greg Winter's stats. Top middle linebacker, 218 pounds, senior season: Average six tackles per game, 3 interceptions, 14 sacks. And Delilah Connor threw him around like he was a rag doll. "Call admissions, I want to talk to Henry Lewis about two more Sports Scholarships for incoming students."


	29. Chapter 29

CH 29

 **Note : this tale had gone on far past the original for being a short single chapter episode…. Like a top, who knows when it's going to stop** **J**

Ed Bower was frustrated. The young's weren't home. He had to get home himself before long. He'd waited an hour and they hadn't come back yet.

He noted their absence in his notebook, the car was gone as was the large van. They HAD to be doing something. Looking at his notes, he noticed they were gone a lot on the weekends. Sometimes, overnight.

Ed drove away to go home. Coming to a stop light, it was red, of course. While he waited, he saw the large van come from the right, followed by the shiny Mercedes Claire drove.

They'd come from the right. When the light changed, he took the right hand turn, curious where they'd come from. He went along scanning the houses he passed. This road lead to the edge of town, then followed a side hill and ran back to the main road. Along it's length, he found nothing but houses and a couple gas station/convenience stores.

They had to have made another turn somewhere. But where? Using logic, he decided to come back tomorrow afternoon and park at that first convenience store he'd seen, and see where they had come from. He grinned at his smart idea. By following their path, he would find out what Daniel did that made them so much money. He was sure that when he discovered what they were up to, he could lead the police right to whatever illegal thing they were doing!

.

John and Cameron were sitting on the floor of the lounge showing Joan how to make shapes on paper with crayons. Joan seemed to like the purple crayons the best. She drew with them as well as ate some.

"Cam, John, we're accepted!" Delilah said happily as she held up the acceptance letters as she came into the pool area. She handed each their letter.

John and Cameron took theirs. Cameron asked, "What's a football scholarship?"

Delilah guessed, "Maybe a scholarship because we can play football? Is there a degree for that?"

John chuckled and said, "No. If we agree to play football for the college, then we don't have to pay to go to college, according to this," he said.

"That would be the frugal thing to do," Cameron noted.

"It will also get us noticed," John stated.

"John, we are already noticed," Delilah reminded him. "Besides, it could be fun."

"Mom's gonna have a fit," John grumbled.

"Gamme fit!" Joan cried happily as she threw her arms up.

"We need to check on the security at the college before we do anything else," Cameron stated.

John knew Cameron was worried about him. "We do, but it should be safe there," he told her.

"We also need to look at the plays they use," Delilah said. "If they are letting us go for free, we need to play serious football."

John eyed her and asked, "You really like playing that much?"

"I do! We get to run over people and knock them down and we don't get in trouble!" she beamed.

'Ok.' John thought, 'At least these were guys they were playing, so they should be able to take the pounding.' "Sure, why not?" he said.

Looking on his form, John saw they were to be at the administration office day after tomorrow, then be at the head coach's office on Saturday, ready for practice. This was going to be an interesting year.

.

Joan looked at everything with a wide-eyed wonder. She was learning who all the big people were, Her Mommy, Mommy two and Daddy spent most of her day with her. Sometimes she spent the day with Gamme Sar-e. Al-e spent many days playing with her, but went home with Gamme Kair. She liked seeing Al-e. Al-e was fun, laughing and running around. It was funny when Gamme Sar-e ran after them making loud noises. They even chased each other, they one behind yelling, "Ge Bak ear!"

Although Joan really like taking milk from Mommy and Mommy two, when they put it in a bottle, Joan could drink while she investigated new places in the house. It was sad though that when she came down the stairs and tumbled partway down, the bottle didn't survive. It broke and the milk all ran out. She sat and cried over her bottle. That was until Daddy ran to her, looking scared. She laughed at him. Daddy was silly.

Another day came when everyone left except for Gamma Sar-e. Mommy cleaned her up after breakfast then Gamme Sar-e held her hand as they waved bye-bye . Gampa Daniel came with Al-e. Joan ran over to see her friend. They greeted each other with Geee!s. Gampa went outside, the girls looked at Gamme Sar-e. She held her hand out and they took off. Sure enough, Gamme Sar-e yelled, "Get back here!" and chased them.

They laughed and ran. Joan was having so much fun!

.

Thursday John and his wives signed in and got their paperwork. Schedules, items they needed, a list of college rules and sororities they could join.

Saturday they came in 'workout clothes', T-shirts, jean shorts and sneakers. At the head coach's office, they met the burly man in his cluttered space. Seeing John, the man stuck his hand out. "I'm Coach Benson."

"John Connor," John replied, shaking his hand.

"Glad to meet ya," Benson said, he glanced at the girls then asked, "Do you know Cameron Connor? He a relative?"

"I'm Cameron," Cameron said and offered her hand.

Benson eyed her slim figure, "You're a girl?" he asked

"Yes, so is Delilah." Cameron replied.

Coach Benson shook his head. "Ahh, girls, this is college football. It gets rough out there. Now we don't discriminate on gender, but you could get hurt out there on the field."

All three laughed. "They can handle it, trust me," John told him.

The Coach eyed them for a moment, then said, "Yeah, OK, that Charity game in Palmdale. You girls put a humiliating defeat on that LFL team. All right, we'll give you a shot. Follow me, we'll get your uniforms."

They were taken to a room full of uniforms, helmets and pads. Coach Benson showed them how to 'fit' their helmets. The smallest uniform though, was too big for either Cameron or Delilah. Cameron took two of the smallest to take home and modify them.

They were then given lockers. John's was with the rest of the team, Cameron and Delilah were shown to the girl's locker room. Once they put their uniforms away, they went out to the field.

.

Greg Winters stood in the pack of players, waiting for everyone to show up. Two staff coaches were there to talk two the new players. Greg was happy they had his accomplishments noted. It was looking good for him to replace one of the graduated linebackers.

"What the hell? What are they doing here?" one guy asked as he looked over at the sidelines.

"Cheerleaders?" another guy asked.

"I'd cheer for her," someone else quipped.

Greg looked over to see the guy and two girls coming with the head coach. "That's the bitch who threw me around" he growled.

"What, them?" one of the players asked.

"Yeah, the busty blond one. She needs her ass kicked!"

"Hold on dude, That's Thing Two … and the other one is Thing One. Dude, don't go messing with them. They're dynamite.'

"No shit, strictly look but don't touch," another added.

"All right boys, listen up!" The head coach announced "We have new players, This is John, Cameron and Delilah Connor. Obviously, Cameron and Delilah are women, but they get no special treatment. Don't play soft or give them a break. We are on this team to win, so everyone will play their hardest every single play. Form a line for warm-ups."

They went though some stretches and calisthenics then took a run around the field. John noted that even though he only exercised every other day, this was easy. IT had to be the nanites helping him out.

After their run, the coaches split them up for drills. John went with some of the guys for maneuver drills. Not just running, but race back and forth and side to side. Watching the coach, he ran hard to one side, the coach lifted the other arm, he stopped and ran to the other side. Coach's arm up, he ran forward, then jogged to the side.

Coach Benson watched the receivers. Their quarterback threw to some of the team players, using they others to form a line between him and the receiver. After his 'A' team got some practice in, he cycled through the new recruits. The first High school quarterback he tried didn't do bad. He hit the receiver four out of five times. Delilah then got her try at being a receiver. He also had Cameron be the quarterback.

The ball was hiked to Cameron, Delilah took off. Cameron shot back a few yards then turned and fired the ball at Delilah who was half way to the goal post in her speed. The ball flew fast and met Delilah perfectly just before she crossed the goal line. Delilah threw it back to hit Cameron. They set up again.

Three more times, Cameron fired the ball, Delilah caught it not breaking stride. He left Cameron as quarterback and had another receiver run out. Cameron threw the ball in a low arc with it's speed. It hit the receiver and bounced out of his hands. He shook one of his hands, looking back at Cameron, then went to retrieve the ball.

Coach Benson grinned. Cameron was small, but that ball was leaving her hand like a bullet from a gun. She was accurate as well. At the same time, it seemed that Delilah was in perfect synch with her and could run like the wind. Of the next three receivers he tried, only one was able to trap her fast throws, and he stumbled upon it impacting him. He also had a big bruise on his arm from catching it.

Note, Cameron. Quarterback. Delilah, wide receiver.

At the end of the drills, Coach Benson wanted to see how Cameron and Delilah would take the pressure of a real game. He set up the offense, using Cameron as the quarterback and Delilah as the left side wide receiver. He had the rookies form the rest of the offense, and his playing team form the defense. He gave no instructions to Cameron except, 'get that ball down field to the goal."

Cameron formed her huddle. She had John as the center, Greg beside him. Delilah was on the far left and was to run for the goal. Everyone else was to block.

.

Greg saw his chance for a bit of payback. She wanted him to help form the pocket? He was going to love seeing her slammed into.

.

Coach Benson watched the sides form up, Delilah was on the left side, watching Cameron.

"Hike!' Cameron yelled. She got the ball and sprinted back a few steps. Greg Winters tripped into John Connor, the pocket collapsed, two line backers charged Cameron. Delilah took off down the field, outrunning her guard. Cameron didn't pause, she turned and threw, then bent low in a brace. Two boys hit her and bounced to the sides. Cameron was still standing as they tumbled.

The ball flew straight and true into Delilah's hands, No one was even near her when she crossed the goal line.

Coach Benson smiled again. Normally, quarterbacks panicked with two linebackers rushing them to sack. Cameron didn't, she got the ball off then braced to receive the charge. Even if she hadn't thrown the ball, she now had a clear shot right up the middle to run it. He could see them wining some games this year.

One of the linebackers that got up after hitting Cameron came over to Coach Benson. "Coach, Trying to take her down was like hitting a friggin brick wall! She didn't even move!"

The other one came over. "Coach, that girl has to be made of iron or something. I hit her hard, she didn't even budge!"

"Sounds like a good nickname for her. Cameron Connor, the Iron Maiden." he said with a grin. He was forming a strategy plan for this year. In their first game, he'd let Tom take the first quarter as the Quarterback, then in the second, switch to Cameron with Delilah as her wide receiver. That should shake up UCLA.

.

By luck, or maybe with some help from John Henry, both Derek and Jesse got interviews with AI Experts. They flew to the Philippines and took a boat out to the island. On the way, Derek noted a Chinese ship was shadowing them. He watched it pull ahead, then cut in front of them. Their boat turned to avoid a collision, blasting it's horn. A fighter plane passed overhead. The Chinese ship stayed near them, but didn't try to cut them off again.

Getting to the island, Derek had trouble reasoning out why anyone would build anything here. Besides some people who lived here, there was nothing. Everything from fuel to food had to be brought in by boat or plane, and the place wasn't even that large. Finding the AI Experts office building was easy, it was the only two story building in sight.

Today, he and Jesse were the only ones getting an interview. He met with a Filipino man and discussed security measures. Derek found that this guy didn't know all that much, it was easy to impress him. Things like fingerprint reading instead of a simple badge to be allowed access, facial recognition software to verify the person was who they said they were, was new to the guy. Arraigning overlapping schedules for the guards so one was on duty and watching before the other one left.

Jesse had a similar experience, asking about their chemical cleanup capabilities as well as normal housecleaning. She also insisted on inspections to ensure each job was done properly.

Finished with their interviews, they left on a small two engine plane that was going for supplies. It was faster and a bit safer that riding on a boat.

Two days later, they got the news they were hired, and given a start date.

.

Their first day of school, John drove them in the jeep. They arrived on time for the indoctrination and met their professors. Signs were up for Sororities recruiting new members. After the morning hustle, they met in a restaurant to compare their class schedules. Both John and Cameron were majoring in Computer science, so they had many classes together. Delilah decided on a mathematics major, so she had one social studies class with John and a foreign languages class with Cameron. They were able to coordinate their lunch time, and of course football practice.

After classes, John found football practice was a little more intense. He rammed into the blocking dummies, to push them back across the field hard. Not as hard as Cameron or Delilah did. The coaches had to tell both girls to stop, they were tearing up the turf.

Without Greg Winters by him, John did much better at stopping running backs from getting past him. He even pushed hard enough to back them up.

They also practiced plays, first watching the "A' team run plays, then going out to copy what they did. John had no idea there were so many different plays they looked similar.

During another practice plays, Cameron tried a new play. The coach wanted her to work on her running game. She threw bullets, but he wanted to see how she did keeping the ball on the ground.

When John hiked her the ball, instead of running back with it, she jumped up on his back and over the line of scrimmage. Delilah ran around the end and rushed over as Cameron ran down field to block any tackle attempts. The defense was confused, so only a couple full backs were able to even get near Cameron. Delilah ran into one knocking him away, then running up behind the other one, bumped him to make him eat turf, leaving Cameron wide open to make the goal.

Coach Benson had never seen that even attempted before. The coaches looked up the rules to see if jumping off someone's back was a legal play. They didn't find anything prohibiting it.

Having Delilah run past Cameron so Cameron could slip her the ball, then pretend to throw, he found out what a bulldozer Delilah was. She hit the safety hard, knocking him on his back, then dodged another tackle attempt. By that time, Cameron had raced around to slam into another defender. Half the team chased Delilah, as she pulled away until she reached the goal line.

"John, are you hurt?" Cameron asked as another part of the team took the field.

"I'm, fine. You helped me push that guy back," he told her, then added with a chuckle, "You should have seen their faces. Classic WTF confusion."

Cameron and Delilah were then selected to be defense as Tom took the Quarterback position with the 'A' squad. Upon the hike, they crashed through the line and ran at him. He looked for an opening, then tucked the ball as they took him down. Gently though, because he was a team mate.

In the 'cool down' huddle, Coach Benson said, "Next week we are going to play UCLA. I know they are thinking this is going to be an easy scrimmage match. We are going there so they can get their fans hyped up about their team. Last year, we lost against them 0 to 28. For the first quarter, Tom will be the quarterback, Jerod will be the left side wide receiver. In the second quarter, Cameron will be the Quarterback and Delilah will be the left side wide receiver. For how hard those girls hit, I wish I could use them for defense too."

"We can do that," Delilah said.

"Yes, put us in," Cameron echoed.

Coach Benson frowned and said, "That means you'll never get a break from play. And I'm not going to risk a quarterback getting injured."

They looked at each other, then Cameron said, "Then put us in the defensive line in the first quarter to keep them from scoring."

"Delilah only, I'm not going to risk you getting hurt, Cameron," he said firmly.

"How about if I play safety?" Cameron asked.

The team agreed with Cameron, wanting her out on the field. Many of them had gotten hit by her. She was not nearly as fragile as she looked. Cameron was the Iron Maiden.

.

They got home to find Sarah laid out on a couch, looking ragged. Joan had ran out to meet them and took them to where Sarah lay exhausted. "Gamme go seepy." Joan explained.

Sarah had John's sympathies.

Cameron got dinner ready while Delilah went to work on their uniforms. John checked for news from Derek. Derek send an E-mail stated they were dong fine and had gotten jobs. Great, that meant they were in. John Henry had been checking the internet, he found no activity to date. John thought that was odd. Then again, these people were most likely trying to be careful. It was the wait for them to do something that irritated John.

.

John had his first class without either wife with him, an elective on political studies. It was a bullshit class from the start. The professor was obviously a liberal who hated the president, and thought republicans were scum. He noticed the red head who sat nearby kept glancing at him.

"… and some day, this country too will wake up and go to a single payer system, that is more efficient that the current system we have" the female Professor explained.

No being able to take any more, John shot his hand up.

"Yes, Mr. Connor?"

"That would be a big mistake," John stated. "Anything the government does, costs at least four times what it does if run by a private organization."

Eyeing him the Professor asked, "And where do you get this information?"

John let out a snort and said, "Look at the VA. Extremely long wait times, they even had people dying while waiting to see a doctor. Take something as simple as a friggin stainless steel coffee pot. You can buy one for about a hundred fifty bucks. Put that same coffee pot on a bomber, and it becomes a fifteen hundred dollar coffee pot. And who hasn't heard of the four hundred dollar hammer? Need I go on?"

"If we get better health care like England has, won't the cost be worth it?" the Professor asked sternly.

"You mean like 258 women dying of breast cancer there because someone forgot to send them their screening authorizations?" he asked.

"That was an isolated incident and not pertinent to this discussion," the Professor said firmly.

"No, it's not isolated, unless you don't want to count the boy who had his life support shut off because some judge ruled it," John replied, "And I am sure the families of those 258 women who died sure as hell think that their deaths were pertinent."

"That would not happen here!' The Professor stated with a bit of anger in her voice.

"You mean like the VA where people die waiting to be seen?" John asked.

"Mr. Connor! You are disrupting the class," she stated.

"By telling the truth?" he asked.

"One more word and I will fail you!" the professor all but yelled.

John was tempted to retort, but figured he better not. Cameron and Delilah were counting on him to be here with them. He sat back while the Professor ranted on.

At the end of class, John got up to leave. The red head poke his arm and said "Hi, I'm Betty."

"John," he said, casting her a brief smile.

"That was very brave, talking back to a Professor," she said.

"Well, they aren't gods. They are just people," he replied and picked up his stuff.

"Want to go get some lunch?" she asked.

John shook his head. "Sorry, I'm meeting my wives for lunch," he told her.

Betty let out a snort. "Fine then, just say no. You don't have to make up stories!" she said in a huff and stormed out.

Before they got to practice, John VS the Professor was up on you tube.

.

Their last practice before meeting LA was in the team room with the coach showing a video of the LA team and pointing out things to watch for. Their quarterback was good, but became rattled if he was hard pressed. Their front line prided themselves on keeping the pocket open. During the first quarter, it was Delilah's job to ensure he got rattled. LA's strongest point was their defense. They stopped running plays after a few yards, that was if they didn't get a tackle to put the other team back a few yards. That was what made them a dangerous team.

Coach Benson went over everything he knew, including the players who'd graduated. He also reinforced their play list, which included Cameron jumping over the line of scrimmage with Delilah running interference for her.

The Saturday came when they got on the bus and went to UCLA. Cameron sprung for a 'family bus' for local families who wanted to see the game. The whole Connor and Young clan came to the game.

.

The announcers were not kind to the Canyon College from the beginning.

"Mike, this team from the Canyon has hardly won a game all last season. They did manage to squeak a win by against a community college, but even that was seven to six. How do you see this game going?"

"Pete, let's face it, this is a practice game for UCLA, We're talking Bambi versus Godzilla here. If Canyon College can even score one touchdown, It will be a big win all by itself. Last year, UCLA kept them from even getting within range of a touchdown."

"I heard they have some new talent. Who, I can't imagine. I hope we see something from them."

" I do also, it's pretty embarrassing for any team to be mauled like what happened last year."

"And here they come out on the field for the coin toss!"

The teams and the coaches came out and gathered at the 50 yard line.

"There's the toss … It was merciful, Canyon College gets the ball first!"

"Yes, Pete, maybe they can show us something before they are ran over."

"Mike, look at number 13 and 23, are those girls on the Canyon team?"

"You're right! They have to be fillers. I don't think both of them together weigh as much as the lightest UCLA player. I don't know what possessed their coach to put girls on their team."

"Maybe they are hoping to be shown some mercy?"

"Let me take a look at the roster."

.

On the field, Cameron and Delilah stood on the 5 yard line, waiting for the kick.

"Who ever get it, everyone else block for them!" Cameron yelled.

The LA team surged forward and the ball came sailing at them. Cameron computed where it was going to land and said, "I got it, cover me." Cameron jumped up and caught the ball, then followed Delilah as they sped off down the field. One LA player ran at them, Delilah rammed him to the side, knocking him down. The entire LA team converged on them. "Right side!' Cameron yelled. Delilah moved right as Cameron did. Delilah checked another player. Cameron charged right into the one facing her, knocking him down with a loud impact. Another jumped on her back, she spun and flung him off.

Past the mass of players, Delilah kept them off Cameron as Cameron fled for the far goal. Cheers and jeers sounded as Cameron broke into open field and charged all the way to a touchdown.

"Look at her go! That's number 13, Cameron, the secondary quarterback! She rammed one tackle attempt and shrugged off another! Guarding her was number 23, Delilah. They blew though LA almost like they weren't even there! It's a touchdown! Canyon College gets the first score of the game, straight from the kickoff!"

"Man, that's gotta be a real sting to UCLA pride! Not only a first goal so early in the game, but it was those girls who made it happen! Let's watch a replay of that run while they set up for the extra point."

Officially on the offense now, Tom took over as the quarterback. He set up and the kicker got the ball off. It was good.

"Man, you can see UCLA is not happy. Coach Randall is questioning the presence of those women in the game. The coaches and refs are in a huddle, first time out for LA."

"Mike, number 13 is Cameron Connor, nicknamed the Iron Maiden. By what she just did, I'd agree with that! 23, Delilah Connor is nicknamed the Bulldozer, and she sure is one from what I've seen. This is not how anyone thought this game would start!"

"There's a bunch of wide open jaws out there for sure."

The head referee came to the center of the field and announced, "UCLA challenges the presence of females on the Canyon College team. Examining the rules, there is no rule stating that females cannot play college football. The challenge is denied."

"The Canyon defense line is setting up, and 23 is the middle linebacker! Number 13 is a safety. UCLA had better be afraid from what we've seen of that last play!"

"No kidding, Pete, These girls aren't just for show. They are packing raw power!"

.

The first play, Delilah broke through and sacked the quarterback by picking him up and throwing him to the ground. She then spread her arms and roared at him before rejoining her team.

The second play, the quarterback got the ball off too fast and missed his receiver. They reformed for a third attempt, he passed the ball to a receiver who tried an end run. He got past the line, but Cameron slammed into him, picked him up and ran back to give them another five yard loss before a mass of players forced them into out of bounds.

The forth down, Delilah broke though and sacked him again, again roaring at him.

"Mike I gotta say, I'm not sure UCLA has a chance in this game if this keeps up. I've never seen such speed and power, especially from a pair of women!"

When the Canyon offense took the field, Tom also could not gain a yard, and got sacked on his fourth attempt.

The game was stalled at the UCLA five yard line. Neither offense was able to make any yardage. On the third time Canyon had the ball, Tom got a pass off, but an LA player caught it and ran 15 yards before he was taken down by Cameron. Seeing Cameron, he dove to the ground before she could pick him up and run back carrying him.

They hiked the ball, and Delilah was on the quarterback before he could do anything, six yard loss.

"Pete, you can see the frustration on the UCLA bench. They can't believe this is happening."

"I can't believe this is happening. LA is getting stopped cold by the Canyon defense. In UCLA's history, no one has been able to hold them well within their own territory. The clock is running down, and they have yet to make any significant gain. I can easily see 23 becoming an MVP. That girl is a monster on the field!"

The first quarter ended on the UCLA five yard line. Score Canyon 7, UCLA zero.

Coach Benson changed his offense.

"Mike, 13 and 23 that were playing defense, are now on the offensive team. 13 is the quarterback! It looks like 23 is a running back .. Yes, out of the huddle, she's taking the left side wide receiver position. I got a bad feeling for LA."

Cameron got the ball and raced back as Delilah raced into the end zone. Cameron threw high, Delilah, covered by three defenders, jumped up and caught it. Touchdown, Canyon.

The crowd cheered on a play being successful. Canyon then got the extra point making the score 14 to zero

Cameron couldn't play defense, but the presence of Delilah glaring at the LA quarterback was enough to rattle him badly. They gained a few yards with a quarterback sneak, then he got sacked trying to make a pass. LA fought up to their own 35 yard line by the time they turned the ball back over on downs.

The Canyon offensive team took the field, and Cameron threw a high, fast ball to Delilah, making another touchdown. They missed the extra point, so the second half ended 20 to zero.

As the halftime show started, the commentators talked about the game.

"Mike, I have never seen a team do this to UCLA. Twenty points, unanswered! It is a total reversal from last year's match up. Canyon is on fire today!"

"I'm glad I didn't put money on this game, Pete. Whoever bet on UCLA, have to be going nuts right about now. You can see that LA's quarterback has been rattled by Delilah. A couple of the hits he took from her were bone shattering! And when she threw him to the ground! That has to rattle his confidence. His front line could not stop her from getting through. Most of the plays, she just ran right through them!"

"And both those girls have played defense and offense. With the point spread we see so far, it's going to take a near miracle for LA to get back into this game."

"I have to agree with you on that … hold on, the UCLA coach had filed a complaint about players on the Canyon team playing both defense and offense. It looks like they are trying to figure out a way to get some breathing room out there."

"I am sure they are, right now they are getting owned by Canyon. Unless they can make a goal and get some points on the board, they are looking at a humiliating defeat."

"This is only a pre-season game, but you're right, it will look bad for UCLA."

.

Coach Benson got the word that the ruling on UCLA's complaint was justified on the grounds of pushing certain players too hard. He decided to split his deadly duo. He kept Cameron as quarterback, and put Delilah on center linebacker to keep the UCLA offense nervous. Knowing Cameron's speed, he had her plan to fake a pass, then run the ball wherever she could get through. Seeing the UCLA defensive line, he wanted her to do her jumping the line on her first attempts, then when the LA team focused on the middle, change up to run to either side.

Coming back for the third quarter, it was UCLA's ball. Delilah took off after the ball was kicked, staying under it. The LA player who caught it on their own two yard line got the ball then was tackled back into the end zone by Delilah. He lost the ball, Delilah quickly slapped a hand down on it.

Technically, it was a touch-back. The coaches had pity on LA and called it a fumble. They had to start their own one yard line.

Angry she didn't get the points they deserved, Delilah watched the quarterback like a hawk. Upon the hike, she slammed into the line, but watched the quarterback as she came close. He mistakenly thought he had time to throw. He cocked back, Delilah jumped. He threw the ball, Delilah caught it and planted it in the end zone. This time, the refs had to call it an interception and touchdown.

LA got the ball again Another quarterback sneak got them out to the 13 yard line. Their next play, Delilah shot out to grab the quarterback and fling him to the ground. The ball bounced loose, an LA player dove on it.

3rd down. The quarterback got the ball and ran right. Delilah blasted through LA payers trying to stop her. A pair of Canyon defenders tackled the quarterback hard.

4th down. The quarterback tried another sneak. Delilah say it and rammed the center. Zero gain. Turnover on downs.

Cameron only had to run fifteen yards to make the goal. Jumping over the line using her center, John, as a spring board, Cameron flew over the defenders. At the five, a player grabbed her. Caremon rammed him. He didn't let go. She ran on, dragging him behind her. Another defense back jumped on her. She crossed the goal line carrying them with her. The crowd roared.

Again, the LA coach challenged the play. Not getting any satisfaction, he called a time out.

Not wanting to end up with an embarrassingly lopsided loss, not that 32 to zero looked good at all, UCLA conceded the game to Canyon College. Coach Benson insisted that also be noted in the game results.

On the way back home, Canyon players were thrilled. They had beaten a top ranking team so bad, they had conceded the game.


	30. Chapter 30

Ch 30

The Canyon College campus was electrified from their team walking over UCLA. The 'Connor duo' was instantly popular with the student body, especially with all the women. Rarely did a woman get accepted onto the football team, let along being named Most Valuable Player in the first game they played. The was quickly spread around also that Cameron and Delilah were Thing One and Thing Two. Even the local news sports showed a few clips from the game that featured the "Iron Maiden' and 'the Bulldozer'.

Cameron agreed to an interview with the local sportscaster. Meeting her on the campus field after lunch, they were surrounded by students who were coaxed to watch from the stands, giving the newscaster's cameraman a nice shot of Cameron's supporters.

Standing by Cameron in her football jersey, The Newscaster announced, "I am Jay Reynolds here with the first year football player, Cameron Connor, who in her first game, humiliated UCLA and is becoming one of Canyon's MVP's. Cameron, I understand you are known by your team mates as the Iron Maiden?"

Cameron grinned at him and said, "Their deduction of my composition is incorrect, however, yes, that is how they identify with me."

A few cheers and chuckles came from the crowd.

"I also understand that you are married, and have a young child?"

"That is correct. My daughter Joan is one year, three months old."

"Wow. Not only a great player at such a young age, but a mother also," Jay said eagerly. "I hear your family is not the run-of- the mill family?"

"It is not. My husband John is also married to Delilah. It is what is right for us." Cameron told him.

"Delilah is known as the Bulldozer, and by the way she breaks through the offensive line every play, she has proven her worthiness of that name. I understand she is also a great receiver?"

"Delilah is. She is fast on her feet, and is in the right position to catch every time. I'm proud of her," Cameron replied.

"What would you say to other women who see you, and want to play College ball?" Jay asked.

"Train. Train as hard as you can. Forget the sororities and the parties. Be dedicated and do not let anyone tell you that you can't do it of you really want it," Cameron stated.

A roar of approval came from the stands. Cameron got a standing ovation.

"Very inspirational," Jay agreed. "Just what made you want to play football?"

"Delilah thought it would be fun, and it is," Cameron told him. "We even got John to join us. That means Sarah has to baby sit, which is a load on her. Joan runs her ragged."

"Who's Sarah?"

"John's mother. She has been very supporting of us in many ways."

"I have to know, being so slim, aren't you afraid of getting a serious injury out on the field?" Jay asked.

"No. It is possible, but if you're in the game, you have to play the game the best you can and not worry about what might happen," Cameron said firmly.

"I noticed in one play, you carried two UCLA linebackers, each over 200 pounds, across the goal line. How did you do that?"

"I kept going," Cameron stated. "The one on my shoulders and upper back countered the drag caused by the one who had me around the hips. All I had to do was keep my feet under me."

Jay laughed. "That must have been very hard, that was a ton of weight on you."

"Negative, it was only 310 effective pounds," Cameron stated.

"Still that was enough to force most people to the ground."

"I am not 'most people'."

With a grin Jay said, "You certainly are not!" Turning to the camera, he said "This has been Jay Reynolds with the game-winning Cameron Connor of Canyon College, the Iron Maiden! Back to you, Frank."

.

It had taken two weeks of Ed Bower waiting, noting the direction Daniel Young took in his way to work, then moving up the road a ways to find out he was leaving town. He then went up the road to wait to have Daniel not drive by. He came closer to town, and found Daniel went to a point where he turned around and went back the way he came.

Ed was sure he'd been spotted. Why turn around unless Daniel has seen him? He had to find a place where he wouldn't be spotted from. The next day, right from school, he went up that road and finding a long driveway to some mansion, he went up and parked off the road. From here, he would see if Daniel drove by. He'd waited about an hour, then Claire's Mercedes pulled up into the driveway and stopped in front of him. He saw her get on her cell phone.

Awww shit! Ed knew he was busted. He got out to ask Claire to move. She rolled up the windows and locked the doors.

"Hey!" Ed barked, knocking on the window. "You're blocking me!"

Claire ignored him and finished her call.

"Do you want me to dent that pretty car of yours? MOVE IT!" Ed yelled.

Another vehicle, a Jeep pulled up behind Claire's car. Three people got out and walked towards him, not looking happy.

"What are you doing here?" the College age boy asked firmly as they approached.

Thinking quickly, Ed announced, "I was turning around and she won't let me out!"

"You lie," The blond girl said.

Ed looked a them. It was Thing One and Thing Two. "I have done nothing wrong! I just want to leave," he told them firmly.

"You're trespassing," Cameron stated.

"You don't get to leave until you tell us what you're doing here," John stated.

Ed backed up, getting nervous. No one knew he was here and he'd heard some strange stories about those two girls. "Stop right there, or I'm calling the police!" he barked.

Cameron shot forward, grabbed his wrist, twisted, planted a hand on his back and shoved his face down onto the road. Delilah came up and pulled out his wallet. John went to the car.

"You can't do this!" Ed cried.

"We can," Cameron stated. "Delilah, who is he?"

"Edward Bower. Why are you here, Edward Bower?" she asked.

"This is assault!" Ed yelled.

"No, THIS is assault," Cameron replied and twisted his wrist farther. A snap was heard and Ed screamed. "Tell us why you are here, or I will assault you again."

John came back with a folder. "He's been stalking Claire," he said. "Where she goes, dates, times. Lately, he's been stalking Daniel."

"He needs to be terminated," Cameron stated. She hauled him to his feet, holding onto his broken arm.

"NO, you can't do that!" Ed cried.

"Wait," Delilah said and searched his pockets. She found his notebook. Her and John read it.

"No clue why he's been stalking them," John said in a musing tone.

"John, take his car up to the house so Claire can go get Allison. We'll get the truth out of him," Cameron said.

John cast Ed a firm gaze and said, "If you do not want to be in a world of pain, you will tell me right now why you are here."

"I was just turning around!" Ed cried.

John shook his head sadly. "Glad I'm not you," he said and went to move Ed's car.

Pointing to the left, Delilah said, "Cam, over there is a good spot to interrogate him."

Cameron turned Ed that way and pushed him of to the side.

Ed tried to push back, drag his feet, and fall. Cameron had a tight grip on him. He ended up hurting himself and finally walked because it was too painful not to. He started sobbing. He knew he wasn't going to live much longer.

Coming to a hillside with boulders, Cameron stopped. Delilah looked around then lifted a large boulder up. "Under here?" she asked.

Cameron nodded, then said, "Mr. Bower, Why are you here?"

"My boss knows I'm here!" he cried.

"Lie," Cameron stated. She grabbed his arm just below the elbow joint and snapped. Delilah quickly covered his mouth to stifle his scream.

"I suggest you tell the truth," Delilah said firmly. She looked at his cell phone and said, "Two numbers called frequently. One is the number to the grade school where Claire works. What is the other one, Mr. Bower?" she asked.

"Fuck you!" he spat. Cameron clapped her hand over his mouth. Delilah stomped on his foot, breaking it.

"Do you enjoy pain?" Cameron asked in his ear as he howled. "All you have to do is answer, and we'll stop hurting you." She let go of his mouth. He screamed, she clamped back down. "Delilah, move the rock, this guy is no use to us."

Delilah held up a finger and dialed. A voice answered.

"Hello?"

"It's Ed," she said in Ed's voice. "We got a dead end here. What's next?"

"Ed, you need to put pressure on Mrs. Young however you can. She's our only link to the residence of those alien girls!"

"Look, I said it's a dead end. I'm out, you won't hear from me again!" Delilah said, hung up, then crushed the phone.

"Why are you looking for us?" Cameron asked. "By the way, scream again, and you loose your balls." Cameron took her hand down off his mouth.

Ed clenched his teeth. He hurt so bad! No one has said anything about getting tortured! He hissed out, "I don't know."

Cameron nodded to Delilah. Delilah lifted the boulder high this time and held it up with one arm. "Cremate?" Delilah asked and formed her other arm into a plasma canon.

"Yes," Cameron agreed. She snapped Ed's neck and tossed him into the hole.

One shot from the plasma canon into Ed's limp body cindered most of him. The remains burned. Delilah dropped the bolder back in place, making some smoke puff up. They then went to retrieve the Jeep.

.

Allison and Joan had a new game. Watching mommies play with other big people, they faced each other, then ran into each other to fall down, giggling their heads off. They got up and did it again. Finding a ball they tried to throw it to each other, but their aim was far off, so they both chased after it to be the first to jump on it.

Sarah was sure she'd see a broken bone sometime soon.

.

Derek and Jesse found that so far, their jobs were easy. All Derek had to guard was the construction materials and the area under construction. Taking his job seriously, he kept a roster of 24 hour a day guards patrolling the area, as well as entry point guards. The 'lunch room' was also a separate area with it's own guard.

Many people weren't happy with Derek. Those who brought their own lunches had to leave them in the lunch room, no lunches or personal containers were allowed in any construction area. If someone was found with a lunchbox outside the lunch room, they were searched, then fired. Derek's reasoning was simple, small company items could be carried out in lunchboxes. The Manager was pleased with him.

Jesse was just as strict with the cleanliness of the place. She drove her workers nuts, not only with the cleanliness of the lunch room, but also of the work areas. Equipment left dirty or not put away lead to the guilty party being recalled to finish the job. Supplies were to be properly stored, leaving only a day's worth of work at the site that was being built. A Foreman argued with her about his leaving scaffolding piled up because 'it came in handy'. Jesse gave him every chance to store it, and not in a pile. He got angry and cursed at her. Jesse had him fired. The 'leadman' was promoted into his old job and understood well to keep his area straightened up.`

Besides ensuring the building going up was safe, Derek reviewed the security plans for when it was up, and made sure they were being followed. He also noted the size and placement of where every room in the place was, and verified every camera, sensor and reader was installed where they should be.

One day he was returning to his office to find a light haired man in a suit waiting for him.

"Derek Reese?" the man asked from Derek's chair.

"Yeah, who are you and what are you doing in my office?" Derek asked in a hard tone.

The man rose and straightened his jacket. "I am your CEO, Mr. Townsend. I am in charge of this project. I see you take your security seriously. Although your office is open, all your cabinets and drawing drawers are locked."

Derek eyed him and asked, "Have any ID?"

Mr. Townsend chuckled and pulled a thin wallet from an inside jacket pocket. "I would suspect no less, from what I hear of you," he said.

Derek looked at his passport and British driver's license. He handed them back and said, "If that's a forgery, it's a very well done. What can I do for you, Mr. Townsend?"

"Exactly what you are doing, Mr. Reese. Even during construction, you are keeping a sharp eye on this facility," Mr. Townsend stated. "Those prints you have, I take it you were inspecting something?"

Derek waved the prints and said, "Camera placements, wiring diagrams, UPS battery locations, motion detectors. If the device isn't where you want and doing what you want, it's useless. Same thing is if the cable's cut. No electrical conduit, I specified schedule 80 pipe for the cables and lines and quarter inch thick steel boxes for the junctions. You can cut though them, but it will make noise that someone will hear," Derek told him.

Mr. Townsend smiled and said, "Very good. You budget is open-ended, Mr. Reese. If you feel we need it, get it. Is there anything you feel we are lacking?"

"Not yet," Derek said. "We are still in the building construction phase. Once equipment and labs are going in, We're going to need fingerprint readers and facial analysis cameras and 3-D analysis software."

"Three dimensional?" Mr. Townsend asked.

"Yes, so the camera can't be fooled by a picture," Derek stated. "We are going to need level three protection if I understand it correctly."

"Indeed," Mr. Townsend agreed, impressed by his security officer. "Have you considered what actions to take against an infiltrator?"

"Several," Derek told him. "From the truly innocent to the most malevolent. Everything from chewing out janitor who did accidentally try to get into the wrong room and deserves a good chewing out and being sent home for the day, to killing the thief who tries to steal something. Each possible incident will be handled on a case by case basis in regards to intent and aggressiveness or lack of, of the person or people involved."

Derek unrolled his prints and selected one to show the structure plan. "I've got a thief-trap here. See this outside vent? It's fake, it goes nowhere but into a closed off room that has a motion activated camera that also trips a grating that comes down if the camera is activated. The security center will get an alarm if anyone see the vent as a nice sneaky way to get in. I used this once before in another application and caught a couple infiltrators."

"Inventive."

"Thieves and spies are inventive," Derek told him. "It's not just the tech that keeps out the real danger, but eyes on scene and doing what you can to out-think them."

"We are going to be doing some very secret computer work here," Mr. Townsend stated. Firmly. "High tech stuff we do not want our competitors to find out about before it is fully developed."

"You're equipment will be stand alone, correct?" Derek asked. "How about faraday cages?"

Mr. Townsend eyed him and asked, "What's a Faraday cage?"

"Wrapping a room or area with a tight copper mesh. I doesn't pass electronic emissions, from outside or inside. It prevents electronic spying, as long as your system is stand alone. It also prevents anyone from transmits from inside the cage to the outside. Not cheap, but it is 100 percent efficient," Derek explained.

"Do it," Mr. Townsend said firmly. "You can build these cages into the walls?"

"Walls, doors and windows," Derek stated. "The tighter the cage, then less chance of emissions leaving the area. I would prefer any lab area to not be on an outside wall where there are windows. The doors must also be metal with ground straps to the cage for maximum protection."

Mr. Townsend nodded and said, "You just got yourself a raise, Mr. Reese. Ensure your security measures are implemented. I'll go make sure the planners know to use whatever modifications you require." He shook Derek's hand and left.

When Derek got 'home' to the small house he and Jesse shared on this island, he got on the satellite phone and gave John Henry updates on what was happening.

.

Claire had noted Ed's car was gone when she came back out with Allison. She didn't think anything of it until he didn't show up at school the next morning. Even then, she wasn't concerned, she didn't have to put up with him.

By Friday when the Principal was asking around about him, Claire began to wonder. She hadn't seen him, and asked where he might have gone. Nobody knew. It wasn't until she was driving up to get Allison that she remembered the last place she'd seen him was in the Connor's driveway. Cameron and Delilah were also there with John.

Claire bit her lip. They didn't do something to him, did they? That couldn't be, for his car was gone when she'd come back out. They might have scared him, she knew they were capable of it, but he'd left. He hadn't checked into a hospital, so they didn't really hurt him. Maybe he was so scared he left town. She was sure that had to be it.

.

Ed Bower's car was found in a river with the driver's window down. The scene of the police recovering the vehicle was played on the news.

"A local teacher's car was found by a couple who noticed a set of tracks going into the river. They followed the tracks to find an abandoned car just under the surface. No body has been found. Police believe this was a DUI incident and are searching for the victim. The name will not be released until after the relatives have been notified…"

Watching the TV, Claire said, "That's Mr. Bowers car!"

"Yes, the plates match the car he drove here," Cameron agreed. "Was he prone to drinking too much alcohol?"

"He never appeared to be," Claire told her.

"Drugs maybe?" John asked.

"I don't know, I suppose it's possible," Claire told him.

"Here we come, Mommy!" Delilah announced as she came in, taking exaggerated steps. Joan and Allison were sitting on her feet, arms and legs wrapped around her lower legs. They were both giggling happily.

Claire had to smile. How could she even think they would do something bad to anyone who didn't deserve it?

.

Saturday was the game with Cal Tech at the school. The tickets for this home game were sold out. On the way there, John got a call. It was Watson.

"Hello, Colonel."

"I just wanted to inform you that the one looking for your residence was a man running for state senate. He won't be sending anyone else to search out where you live."

"He was running?" John asked.

"Yes, was being the operative word. The two prostitutes he hired came clean to the media as did the woman he'd beaten up. He is charged and dropped out of the race. Apparently, he beat her up the very day Mr. Bower crashed his car in the river."

"Thanks for the information. We appreciate it."

"And do us a favor, tell your wives to take it easy on the field. We don't need any more questions raised."

"Will do, we'll watch what we're doing," John assured him.

He ended the call.

"We will ensure we don't hurt anyone," Cameron said.

"Maybe you should allow the opposition to tackle you once in a while," John suggested.

"That would help to keep the scores closer together and add tension to the game," Cameron agreed.

Delilah sad, "John, it is my turn to have a baby, but I want to wait until after this season is over Just in case."

"Yes, after this season is over," Cameron agreed. "A hit won't hurt us, but may do harm to your child."

"Agreed," John added.

.

The Cal Tech coach was nervous. He'd watched the UCLA team play Canyon. This was the first real game of the season, and he was seeing no counter to the Iron Maiden on offence, nor the Bulldozer on their defensive team. The only good thing was now they were split on offence and defense and not both playing offence and defense. The bad thing was that they were split, meaning getting a touch down or keeping Canyon at bay was going to be tough. He had come up with a strategy, hopefully, it was going to work.

.

Getting together to go out on the field, John, Cameron and Delilah heard talk about kneeling in a show support for a political cause. John waited until the coach arrived and said, "Coach Benson! We're here to play football, right?"

"That's right! And I need everyone to go out there and do better than your best!" Coach Benson announced.

Cameron announced, "So if there is any political gestures made, we leave the field and we won't be back."

The coach eyed her. "What are you talking about?"

"Just what she said," Delilah replied. We keep politics out of our team on the field, or we quit."

"Hey!" one of the players said. "It's our right to show how we feel!"

John looked at him and said, "Let's go home, girls."

"Hey!" Coach Benson barked, "You leave now and your scholarships are over!"

"Fine. We can pay our tuition. It's our right to quit, isn't it?" Cameron asked.

"That would be a big mistake," Coach Benson stated.

"Not for us," Delilah replied. "We come to play and have fun. If you guys want to do politics, we don't want any part of it."

"You can't take away our rights!" the man yelled.

"We're not. Kneel of you want to. Anyone kneels, we go home. That's our right," Cameron stated.

"That's blackmail!" another player shouted.

Cameron tipped her head slightly and asked, "So, exercising your right is fine, but ours is blackmail?" she asked.

"Yes!"

"Funny, and here I thought everyone had rights," John said.

"Coach! You can't let this happen," Tom said firmly.

Coach Benson shouted, "Everyone calm down! We're all going out on the field for the beginning ceremonies. You heard the Connors. If they really want to quit, they can. Keep that in mind, now get out there and get ready to play ball!"

They went out and too their places in line for the Anthem. Halfway through, one player dropped to one knee. At the end of the Anthem, John, Cameron and Delilah dropped their helmets and walked back into the tunnel.

"I wanted to have a baby anyway," Delilah said as they left.

Canyon lost 12 to 21.

.

Monday morning Cameron went to the main office to pay for their tuitions. She had just gotten to the finance office to see Coach Benson was there.

The financial officer called Cameron in, Coach Benson went in with her.

The graying man behind the desk said, "Mrs. Connor do you really want to give up your scholarship?"

Cameron replied by offering him her credit card. "Please put my tuition on this, and John and Delilah's as well."

"That will be sixty thousand dollars," he warned.

"Then it is," Cameron stated.

"Wait!" Coach Benson said. "Cameron, think about what you're doing. You are giving up your scholarships!"

"We are," Cameron said and waited for the gray haired man to take her card.

"You don't have to do that!" Coach Benson said, sounding stressed.

Cameron cast him a blank face. "We do. We made ourselves clear. You were there, weren't you?"

"Your uniforms won't fit anyone else, we'll have to charge you for them," Coach Benson stated.

"We will buy new ones for you."

"Before you do that, let me talk to the other players," Coach Benson begged. "At least give me a chance to correct this without doing anything drastic."

Cameron looked at the financial officer and said, "I want to cancel our scholarships."

"I can cancel yours. John and Delilah will have to come in and cancel theirs themselves," he told her.

"Then cancel mine."

Coach Benson looked like someone just shot his dog as the paperwork was done.

.

On the way out, Cameron was stopped by the official school news reporter.

"Cameron Connor! I'm Gina Haskell with the Canyon times. Can you tell me why you, your husband and Delilah walked off the field on Saturday, causing our team to loose the game?"

Cameron eyed her and said, "Ask Coach Benson." She walked on, ignoring the other question the woman asked.

.

John and Delilah head to the office to cancel their scholarships. Students were not happy they had walked off the field. When asked why, they said the same thing as Cameron. "Ask Coach Benson."

Rumors circulated. One group was sure Cameron and Delilah were being thrown off the team because they were women, and their husband supported them. Another group just knew it was because they had a plural marriage. Others thought there was harassment involved since none of the Connors would say why they didn't play, and were making their own public statements for everyone to see. Still others claimed they were traitors to the college, for not playing. For two days, people pestered them for an answer, and Coach Benson tried to stick to his statement of they cancelled their scholarships.

Neither answer was suitable for anyone at the college and by the third day, by the local news.

Coach Benson was filmed outside his office, not looking happy. When asked why their best players left the team, he said, "The Connors decided they didn't want to play football any more and cancelled their scholarships."

"There has to be a reason why," Jay said. "We talked to students, and the Connors. All the Connors said was to ask you. There have been rumors circulating about harassment and other things on the team."

"I cannot comment on the reasons. All I can say that is what they decided,." he said firmly.

"Was there any harassment or threats against them?' Jay asked.

"There was not."

"Any discrimination?" Jay prodded.

"None."

"There has to be a reason they would give up full scholarships," Jay said.

"They had their reasons. That's all I can say," Coach Benson stated.

"I find it hard to believe they would quit for no reason at all," Jay insisted. "At least Cameron and Delilah were well on their way to be MVP's. Why would they give that up?"

Looking stressed, Coach Benson said, "They said they wanted to play football, not politics. That is all I'm going to say." He then retreated back into his office.

Delilah was the next one to be cornered.

"Mrs. Connor!" Jay called as he saw her walking between buildings.

Delilah stopped. When he ran up to her, she asked, "Yes?"

"We just talked to Coach Benson. He said you quit the team because you wanted to play football and not politics. Can you explain?"

Delilah nodded and said, "We get hit with political bull*beep* every day in almost every class. Being on the team was fun and free of that garbage. I don't care what anyone's views are. That's their business. When they brought it on the field, playing stopped being fun. I just don't want to hear it."

"What bothered you about it?" Jay asked.

"Being there! Like I said, on the field was the one place we didn't have to put up with it," Delilah stated.

"But it is people's rights to express their opinions," Jay said.

"You are correct," Delilah replied. "And it is our right to quit the team if we want."

"You gave up your scholarships, doesn't that hurt you financially?" Jay asked.

Delilah shrugged and said, "Isn't that our right too? Is there any law against that?"

"Well, no"

"Then what's the problem?" Delilah asked.

"Our team suffered because you and your spouses quit," Jay stated.

"That's life," Delilah stated. "Other players didn't want to do something simple as not bring their political *beep* into the game, so we exercised our rights. If they suffer for it, it's not our problem." She then continued on her way.

"Is there any chance you might get back on the team?" Jay called after her.

Looking back, Delilah said, "Not as long as the *beep* *beep* continues."

.

The next day after the news was aired, there were scowls at the Connors, and others raised their fists in support of them.

At the next game, the attendance dropped to half. Apparently, many came just to see the Iron Maiden and the Bulldozer play. Coach Benson was pressured to get the Connors back on the team. The financial office was not happy that ticket sales had plummeted.

The Jeep was vandalized. John filed a report with the police, then asked the college for compensation. It was denied, so he filed suit against the college. The college quickly rechecked the security videos and brought the vandals to justice and turned the suit on them as well as expelled them.

Other than a few minor things, John and his wives were enjoying their weekends spending time with Joan and getting ready to make sure Delilah had her baby. While they had a fun Sunday afternoon playing with the children and some time quality time with the family, Canyon lost another game.

.

Coach Benson was again blamed for the loss. He studied the conditions for the sports scholarship. Doing so, he found a few conditions in the scholarships. He brought them into the team room where the team all gathered

Holding up the papers he said, showing them to his team, he said, "I want to remind everyone of what the agreement the sports scholarship states, that all of you agreed to."

Reading he said, "With this agreement , you will do your best to help the sports team you are playing for and win and listen to the coaches and follow directions. You promise to not display any acts of miss behavior that the college has in regards to harassment, fighting, or segregating of race, religion, or gender. Does everybody understand that?"

Heads nodded and many said "Yes, coach."

Coach Benson eyed the team and said, "The losses we've currently had, are the fault of a few players. All you had to do was stand up! The Connors clearly told you the did NOT want to deal with any politics. So! From no on, if you need to kneel, then you walk right back to the locker room and stay there! Your chances of finding a scout to sign you up for a professional team will be greatly reduced. We want a winning team, not one who will lower our chances of winning.

One player shot up. "It is our right!" he said firmly.

"You have your rights," Coach Benson said firm. "And you also have responsibilities to do your best to help our team win games. It's up to you to choose if you want to honor your agreement, or have your scholarship revoked due to sabotaging the chances of our team to win."

"That's bull shit!"

"It's in your scholarship contract. Read it!" Coach Benson countered.

"The Connors quit!" he cried.

"They did, and you know why. Now we've lost the most valuable players on our team," Benson said firmly.

"You … you cancel my scholarship and I'll sue!"

"Good luck, you'll need it," Benson said firmly.

The player stormed out.

"Anyone else?" Coach Benson asked. Everyone else stayed quiet. He'd gotten his point across. Now, if he could only get the Connors back on the field.

.

Monday morning, John wasn't looking forward to school. There was no danger of anyone attacking them, the story about Delilah throwing that one player around was wide spread. Some people did lie dirty tricks though, she the loaded the Jeep with cameras to keep an eye on it. Not only inside, but in the wheel wells to catch anyone trying to sneak along the side.

With plenty of fresh paint to match the color of the Jeep, it had to be frustrating for these mischievous people to not only fair to mark it up, but also have their faces caught in the act.

Walking into the science building, They were met by Greg. He came from the side and asked, "May I talk to you guys for a moment?"

Delilah stopped and eyed him. "Talk," she said flatly.

Greg raised his hands up. "Hey, yeah, I admit, I was an asshole at the beginning of the year, OK? The thing is, if we're not winning games, my chances of being picked up by a pro team is in the dumpster. Same with many of the guys. We don't care about politics either, all right? We just want to get our chance at playing professional ball. Could you please go see Coach Benson and try to work something out?"

"You want our help?" Cameron asked.

Looking meek, Greg nodded and said, "Yeah, please. I know I don't deserve it, but This isn't just about me. It's about all the guys on the team … except for the one, and he's all but out the door. He's out of the fraternity, and I think if he wants to make his statements again, Coach Benson's going to give him the boot. "

John looked at Cameron and Delilah. "We'll discuss it," he said.

"Yes!" Greg said happily. "Thanks guys, We won't forget this!"

"John said we'll discuss it," Cameron reminded him.

"That's not a 'no'," Greg said firmly. "That means we got some hope."

"Why did you come to ask us?" Delilah asked.

Greg shrugged and said, "Well, we were sitting around talking about it, and … Well, I know I was an asshole to you, so I thought maybe you could see that if I was serious about supporting you, then you'd see everyone else is too."

"You're growing up," John noted with a grin.

Greg returned the grin. "Yeah, maybe I am."

.

The Wednesday afternoon meeting in the team room to watched a video of the team they were going to be playing, Coach Benson was by the screen stopping the video to show plays and tactics of the other team.

"See here, their quarterback has a good running game, but he hesitates to throw the ball, and either keeps it for himself or passes to number 15 here, their strongest running back. He does have a great line backing him up, it's hard to get through…"

"I can get through it," Delilah announced.

Everyone turned to see John Delilah and Cameron standing in the back.

"That is, if we can play," she added.

Coach Benson stared at them. "But, you quit, you have no scholarships, and can't get them back."

"We never said we wanted a scholarship." John stated.

"The team asked us to play, that's why we're here," Cameron stated.

"You don't let a team mate down," Delilah stated.

"I'm sure we can work something out," Cameron told him.

All eyes shifted to Coach Benson.

Coach Benson grew a crooked grin and said, "Well we still have your uniforms. That is, if you don't mind playing for fun."

"That's why we joined in the first place," Delilah told him.

Coach Benson grinned wider. "All right, take a seat, you're on Sunday's roster."

The room exploded with cheers.


	31. Chapter 31

Ch 31

Mr. Townsend was a happy man. He was getting paid well, and he swore had the best security man on the planet. Derek Reese was not just abiding by security, he was hunting for ways to improve security and tested it.

Sitting in his office, a man slipped in to hand him an envelope. "Here, sir," the man said nervously. His hand was shaking. Mr. Townsend took the envelope and opened it inside was a letter that said :

Mr. Townsend,

Please excuse the interruption. This man has just successfully bypassed security. Please send him to my office so I may find out how he did it

Derek Reese.

Mr. Townsend laughed. Reese was checking his own security! He got up and told them man, "Let's go down and see Mr. Reese. I want to hear this too!"

.

In Derek's office, the man told how he got through. He'd planned well. Buying an employee drinks, he'd gotten him to talk about his job. He fawned over the 'fancy badge' the man had and took a picture of it. Being 'buddies' he also took a picture of the man's face. He then went home and made a mask of the man's face. When he was ready, on the badge he put his own face, and put the mask in a brief case. In a rush, the guard let him go in, he blocked the door with his foot to keep it from closing and slipped in the front, despite the 'no tailgating rule'. Not having to use the badge to open the door, he got in. He followed his 'buddy' into the locker room and palmed his badge so he had a real one. Using the mask (Which was well done), he got into the man's work area, then upstairs.

After that, he managed to take a peek at Mr. Townsend's schedule so he had the right name to be let in.

Derek listened to the man, then said to Mr. Townsend, "This was a dual failure. First, the guard did not ensure the door was all the way shut before letting the next person in. Second, the facial recognition software is not up to par. I will have that corrected myself."

"I get my money?" the man asked.

Derek nodded and handed him an envelope and said, "I'll escort you out. I want to show the guard why he's being send home early."

"You are going to let him know of his shortcoming?" Mr. Townsend asked.

"Yes, and very loudly," Derek assured him. "I'm also going to have a fingerprint reader installed. They are harder to copy."

Mr. Townsend liked Derek's style. He would not even let housecleaning into a room unless there was a security guard present.

.

The Connors didn't think it was a big deal to get back into a football game. They were wrong.

Cameron and Delilah were begged to do a photo in their uniforms, complete with the cheek darkening and helmets. They formed six-pack abs for the shoot and with Delilah doing a high armed crouch and Cameron with one arm up to pass, their jerseys lifted enough to show some ab muscles. Both wore serious Terminator faces. The picture was titled 'We're back!'

Beside the original picture, more were on sale from the news stand to 'help the team'. They all sold out. More than a few went up in dorm rooms, boys and girls.

.

By request of Coach Benson, when the team went out, they formed a double row, keeping the Connors in the second row for the opening ceremonies. On the coin toss, the other team got the ball. As they set up to kick, Delilah took her helmet off and shook her hair loose and put it back on.

She smiled at the look of shock from the team they were facing.

Greg kicked off, a nice high ball. Delilah took off after it, computing where it would come down. Zeroing in on the player under it, she noted others try to block for him. Having speed and momentum, she checked her shoulder into one blocker, sending him flying back in a spin. The boy prepared to catch saw her, taking his eye off the ball. Delilah spun and jumped and caught the ball. She came down to bowl him over.

A whistle blew over the roar of the crowd.

Delilah stopped and looked at a ref. He held his hand out for the ball. She gave it to him.

The ref announced, "First down, six yard line, Pasadena."

"That's not fair, I caught the ball," she said. He ignored her.

Damn it.

Getting on the defensive line, Delilah locked onto the quarterback and listened to the huddle. He was going to go for an end run, left side. She got in place and cast him a blank stare. Two linebackers were covering her. The one in front of her and the one to the right.

"Hike!"

Driving forward, Delilah hit both at once with her forearms, knocking them aside. The quarterback had turned to pass the ball. Delilah rammed into him, taking him down and knocking down the one he was passing to. The ball popped out from between them. Greg dove on it.

Turnover, first down, Canyon.

In the announcer's box, Pete said, "The Bulldozer is back! Number 23 drove though the line and sacked the quarterback! Number 11 recovered the ball. What a play! "It looks like the Pasadena quarterback, Jimmy Michaels, number 10, is limping off the field."

"That was a hard hit, Pete I swear I felt it from here! Delilah ran through the line like it wasn't even there, then took both of them down."

"It was a hard hit. And here comes the Canyon offense, and yes! The Iron Maiden is out on the field!"

"The Pasadena defense had better have a good plan if they want to bring her down."

On the field, Cameron looked over the defense then kicked up her left leg and yelled, "Hike!"

The left running back ran around behind the line, the defending player covering him followed. Cameron raced around through the gap and shot down field. The safeties ran after her. One almost caught her coming in at an angle, she shot to the side in front of him. By the time he changed direction to reach for her, she was past him and ran into the end zone.

"Touchdown, Canyon!"

.

"Already?" Jimmy cried. From the sidelines.

"Jimmy, first play, throw it back the instant you get it, Mark, you make the throw. Find a receiver fast and get rid of the ball," his coach ordered.

Jimmy went out on the field as the sides changed. In his huddle he had Mark stay to his left, and told the pocket to back up a few steps to block 'that chick'

"Who the hell is that?" the center asked.

"I don't know, but she hits like a friggin truck! Don't let her through!" Jimmy told him.

They got on the line. The cold stare that blond was giving him was unnerving. He called hike, spun and tossed, and was bumped by his own center. His pass to Mark was on it's way. The blond appeared and snatched it out of the air and ran it into the goal.

Touchdown, Canyon.

Jimmy gaped at the blond. He felt she'd read that play. That was the only way she could have known what he was going to do. How did she do that? She cast him another cold stare. It was like she personally hated him.

.

Coach Benson let Cameron pile up the score in the first quarter, then switched to Tom. They were ahead now 21 to nothing. Delilah kept sacking Jimmy. Tom wasn't making much progress, so on a switch, Tom decide to go for a quarterback sneak and let John keep the ball to go for some yards.

At the hike, John slapped the ball back and charged. Running hard he blasted though the line. Safeties were coming from both sides. As they closed, he picked the right hand one and jogged over to run into him. Surprised at someone with the ball charging, the player was knocked out of the way. John ran on, two players chasing him. Slowly, he gained ground on them, leaving them behind as the crowd went wild.

Touchdown, Canyon

"Pete, I've never seen a quarterback sneak go thirty five yards before! Number 20, John Connor, shot out of the line a race horse! Is there anything Pasadena can do to stop Canyon today?"

"I highly doubt it. They are facing tall odds here. I see the Pasadena coach is wiping his face in frustration. His offense is getting stopped cold by the Bulldozer, and I think the defense has been rattled by the Iron maiden. I think if she comes out again, they just might concede the game."

"You think Canyon is taunting them with a possible chance at making a goal?"

"I don't know. All I can see is Canyon has command of the field today and I'm sure their coach is going to ensure it stays that way."

.

It was time again. Jimmy heard what the coach told him, go for a short pass on his left, away from the blond, then another pass over the line to a receiver.

Jimmy got his receiver to one side and whispered what the play was. He then made the huddle and told the other receiver the 'official' plan. They got on the line. Jimmy hiked and moved left and tossed. His receiver caught it. Delilah shot past him. Jimmy swore he could hear bones crunch as his receiver was hit from the front and the side. Delilah and another player rammed him so hard his helmet flew off.

After the play he noted the boy wasn't getting up. Delilah stayed by him, kneeling at his side. She pulled her helmet off.

"Breathe slow and deep," she coaxed. Looking at her, he did. The team gathered around.

"You OK?" Delilah asked.

He nodded. She helped him get up. Cheering came from the crowd.

Jimmy was looking on. "I thought you killed him," he said.

"Not intentionally," Delilah replied flatly.

"You certainly try to kill me!" Jimmy complained. "Ease up huh?"

Delilah cast him a blank look and said, "I can't be bargained with, I can't be reasoned with. I don't feel pity, remorse or fear, and I absolutely will not stop until this match is won."

Jimmy backed up out of her way when she moved to rejoin her team. That girl was half a head shorted than him and maybe half his weight, and she scared the crap out of him.

Lining up for the next play, Jimmy tried a sneak. He got bowled over again, but they made three yards. Coming up with his next play he whispered to his right side center, "Don't try to stop her, dive for her legs, trip her up."

They got on the line again. Jimmy hiked the ball, and jumped back to throw. Delilah launched herself out and tripped over the boy diving in front of her, kicking him. Delilah landed on the ground by Jimmy as he got the ball off. The receiver and made a run to the shock of the Canyon defense. He made 7 yards.

YES! Jimmy finally got a first down!

He also lost his right center, the boy left the field holding his ribs, being helped along by another player. Talk about a 'sacrificial' play. It was a good thing they had standbys.

.

Jose, the defensive coordinator, changed Delilah to a safety position. Not seeing her on the line, Jimmy relaxed some. Needing yardage, Jimmy went for a pass. He threw the ball to his receiver who was wide open. Delilah raced from the side, jumped up and caught the ball.

Oh shit! Now they had to stop her!

Delilah charged the mass of players. The first Pasadena player that ran at her, she bent low and crashed into, lifting up to throw him over her back. Another hit her, she spun to fling him off. This slowed her down enough that two more jumped on her.

"Keep going!" Greg yelled as he pushed from behind. Another Pasadena player hit her from the front and pushed. She shoved her way through him. Both teams converged on her. She got another five yards with a mass on her so thick, she was no longer visible. Trying to move to the side, her foot slipped. The weight on her did the rest. Delilah went down. The weight over her slammed her down hard enough to trip her safety circuit.

She'd only made it nine yards past the original scrimmage line. The clock also ran out for the second quarter.

"Wow, what a play! Interception and a good gain on yardage. There had to be the entire team on 23! Delilah is a bulldozer indeed!"

"Just when Pasadena finally made some yardage too! That has to be frustrating."

As the pile unwound, Greg helped other players up, then grabbed Delilah's hand. It was limp. In her helmet, he saw her vacant stare. "What? MEDIC!" he screamed.

Cameron and John raced out on the field as the players stood around Delilah's limp form.

"Safety shutdown, 60 seconds," Cameron told John as they raced over to where Delilah lay.

John was worried, a lot could happen in 60 seconds. They beat the medical team to where Delilah laid. Cameron excused her way close and pretended to check her over. She got Delilah's helmet off and looked closely at her face.

"We're medics, don't move her!" a man with a white arm band said firmly.

45 seconds to go.

"We have to get her on her back," Cameron stated.

"She might have a broken neck," the man replied and went to feel for a pulse. "I need a neck brace!" he called.

Cameron watched the man's face as he tried to feel for a pulse.

"Oh, God…" he whispered, not finding one.

"She'd stunned, that's all," Cameron said quickly. "Once she recovers, she'll be fine."

30 seconds to go.

The man ignored her. "Get a stretcher out here," he said in a hoarse tone.

"Listen!" Cameron said, "In another 25 seconds, she'll wake up. Just wait."

The man looked at her with pity and shook his head. "She's not waking up. We have to get her off the field."

"Mike, It looks like 23 took a disabling hit, The stretcher crew is coming out on the field. She's not moving."

"It doesn't look good, Pete, this may be a serious injury. I think the weight of players on her knocked her out."

15 seconds to go and the stretcher team arrived. The Medic by Cameron told them in a heavy tone, "Put her helmet back on and let's get her on. Make for the tunnel, keep her face from showing to the crowd."

"Pulse rate?" one of the men asked.

The medic swallowed and said, "Zero," looking like he was about to cry.

The others stared at him.

"What?" Greg asked weakly.

"Come on, let's get her on."

They moved around Delilah to pick her up. She blinked and sat up. Two of the medics jumped back.

Both teams and the crowd cheered as Delilah got back up on her feet.

The Medic who pronounced her dead was called an idiot. The other members of the medical squad asked Delilah a bunch of questions, then had her do several coordination tests to satisfy them that she was all right. She put her helmet back on and announced, "Let's play ball!"

.

The Pasadena coach found a new strategy with Jimmy's one play. Don't try to tackle upper body, but low on the legs. Trip and take down. It was a high risk strategy, but it had worked.

Coach Benson had Tom quarterback the 3rd Quarter. Pasadena kicked to them. John caught it and charged. The first Pasadena player coming at him dove low. John jumped up, managing to avoid the tackle. The next one dove. John jumped again and was hit high from the other side, tipping him over. He went down on the 46 yard line.

The Pasadena players were thrilled, they'd stopped a Canyon charge!

Tom didn't do bad. He worked the ball down to the Pasadena 30, then tried another sneak. John knocked over a linebacker to race out. The safeties dove high and low on him He jumped to meet the high attempt. They crashed together and bounced. John stumbled and was about to run into the end zone only a few yards away and someone else hit him in the back of his legs. He fell at the three yard line.

It was then Tom made his mistake. Instead of a run to force the ball into the end zone, he tried a pass. It was intercepted. In the race for the far goal, the Pasadena player who got the ball was running like a demon. John chased him full bore and finally caught him at their own 40.

Again, Pasadena was thrilled to have made a great play. Jimmy got sacked again two more times by Delilah, and was replaced when he limped off the field.

Tom took a hard hit from a couple desperate Pasadena defenders. He was replaced by Cameron. In her huddle, Cameron had an idea on a play no one had ever tried before.

"Guys, at the hike, don't try to stop the line. Run past them and get ready to receive," she told them.

"What? You'll get murdered!"

"No, I can move faster than them. Run past them, turn and get ready to catch. Once I've delivered the ball, I'll help block," she said firmly.

"Hey, what the hell, it's never been tried before."

"Just guard the man with the ball. Let's go!"

Cameron got into position. Seeing everyone ready, she lifted her right foot to get the receivers moving, then hiked. Racing back five yards, she turned to see the entire Pasadena line jump forward, then pause, looking confused briefly before running at her. Seeing her line was beyond them, she jumped up and fired the ball. Right after the ball left her hand she was tripple teamed and went down with a pile on top of her. The ball hit her left center square in the chest. He turned and ran.

With coverage on both sides, he ran down the field. He wasn't the fastest, but most of the Pasadena team was chasing them. Cameron had shot up out of the pile on her and raced after them. She ramming into players to keep them off her runner as the rest of the team father ahead blocked to the sides. With this crazy play, they made it down to the 25 yard line.

The next play was a normal pass. Cameron raced back, and the Pasadena players didn't slam hard into the line, which gave her plenty of time to pick her receiver and throw the ball to him in the end zone. He caught it. Touchdown.

.

By the end of the 4th quarter, Pasadena was whipped and had no idea what Cameron might do next. One play, she ran back like she was going to pass, then saw the opening and ran the ball though them to race down the field and get 6 more points. Her last play with 12 seconds on the clock, Coach Benson told her to just 'waste time' to run the clock out. She did, to the 5 second mark. The she had the team line up, hiked immediately, then jumped over John to race into the end zone.

"I must say, Pete, some of the plays the Iron Maiden made were things we've never seen before! The jumping over the line, we've seen that, but to collapse the whole line on purpose? That was insane! I doubt anyone else would have dared attempt that!"

"It's her speed and confidence, Mike. She made Pasadena nervous about rushing, that was a very smart move. I think her and Coach Benson stay up at night making surprise plays to confuse the defense. Let's face it, when you're up 48 to nothing, you can afford to take risks."

"Many would call that a stupid play."

"Well, I guess if it's stupid, but it works, then it's not stupid."

.

Derek noted something odd. One of the things Mr. Townsend was intent on was the security. So then why was he having reports sent to him on regular E-mail? Everything from construction status to incoming equipment. The four large servers were here, and the tech people were putting in the programs, and reporting to him.

Something wasn't right. Derek decided to ask for a meeting.

In a copper caged conference room that had sound dampening on the walls, Derek lounged back in a thickly upholstered chair and waited a short time. Mr. Townsend came in and sat across from him.

"Mr. Reese, what can I do for you?" he asked, all smiles.

Derek eyed him and said, "You know we've spend millions on security. This place is a fortress, both physically and electronically. I do my best to ensure nothing gets in or out."

"Yes, you have done and outstanding job," Mr. Townsend agreed.

"So why then, are you using unsecured e-mail accounts to receive reports?" Derek asked. "That's like waving to every hacker in the world to come and take a look at exactly what you're doing."

"It can't be that bad," Mr. Townsend said with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, it can," Derek stated. "No matter how good your password is, and even if you change it, once in, a good hacker will know your business. I'm trying to keep this place locked down, and you are effectively throwing the front door open. Mr. Townsend, I ask you to let me work up a good secure system, and stop using regular E-mail. I'll get all the boxes cleaned out for you, this is a very real risk."

Mr. Townsend took on a serious face. Leaning forward, he said, "You are correct Mr. Reese. It is a risk. It is also a carrot."

"Excuse me?" Derek asked.

"What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room," Mr. Townsend said. "I know there are people, very capable people, who want this project shut down. My boss has made research facilities before. These people who don't want him to succeed are very violent. They are smart, too. He's had facilities blown up, researches murdered. Their location was secret, but somehow, these people found out. This time, we will be ready for them. Mr. Reese, this whole facility is a trap to catch them when they come."

"It's a very elaborate trap," Derek said.

Mr. Townsend nodded and said, "It is. That Chinese ship that harasses boats? A Squadron Commander and his ships are on the take. I have others on my payroll also. I am using the E-mail as a… shall we say, a designed oversight to tip these people off that we're starting a research facility here. We want them to come try to destroy it and kill everyone as they've done in the past. When they do, I spring the trap."

"So, this isn't going to be a research facility?" Derek asked.

"If we can stay here after the fallout. If not, they we have what we need to move it someplace else," Mr. Townsend said.

Derek nodded in thought, then said, "This is a dangerous game, Mr. Townsend. You're involving the Chinese in Philippine territory. Things like that start wars."

"Not my concern. My concern is getting these bastards that are destroying our facilities. We have vital work to do, and cannot move forward when we keep loosing our research."

Derek frowned at him. Shifting in his seat, he said, "All right, it sounds like you need an evacuation plan. Most important things first. Contacts and transportation to be arraigned as discretely as possible. Do you have a destination?"

"A small man made island the good Commander is ported at," Mr. Townsend said with a grin. "From there, most likely air travel that has been arraigned."

"How about these people? What do they use?"

"Bombs, tanks, heavy guns. They are not what you call subtle."

"An army," Derek concluded. "All right, I can make a plan to defend against that. The airport has a radar, we can tap in on that, and I'm sure the harbor master won't mind a surface search radar for safety reasons. That will give us warning if they come. We're going to need fast boats to get things out of here in a hurry. I think we need to start a yacht club that specializes in ocean racing boats with big fuel tanks. I'll have det cord inserted into walls to help clear the way for fast equipment removal. The southeast corner is closest to the ocean, we'll put the yacht club there. I'll work on the amount of boats we'll need for transport of equipment and people."

Seeing Mr. Townsend eyeing him, Derek added, "You pay me to ensure what's important to you stays safe. That's what I intend to do."

Again, Mr. Townsend was very pleased with his Security Officer.

.

The victory party at the local bar was crowded. John and the girls stayed and pretended to drink with the players and many fans. Several people expressed their relief that Delilah wasn't really hurt.

As with most college parties, hormones grew as the alcohol was consumed. Several cheerleaders disappeared with players. At a table, boys were squaring off in an arm wrestling match with a small crowd around them. The Connors figured they'd stayed long enough. They headed for the door and Tom yelled, "Hey! I bet Delilah can take anyone down!"

"Yeah, Delilah, come show us that you got!"

"I think Cameron can beat her," another boy said.

Looking over at the arm-wrestling table, Delilah said, "We're going someplace else to wrestle."

"You are?"

"Yeah … bed!"

"All three of you?" Tom asked wide eyed.

"Is there any other way?" Cameron asked.

Cheers, hoots, whistles and a "John Connor you lucky bastard!" followed them out the door.

Yes, he was.

.

Getting home late, Joan was already out for the night. Sarah was ragged, and told them what John Henry passed on from Derek.

"That facility in the Philippine island is a trap to draw us in," Sarah said. "Unless they do start research there, we ignore it."

John nodded slowly, then said, "You know, if we fail to take any action for long enough, they might start using it for Sky Net research."

"Yes, but most of the original tech has already been destroyed," Cameron added. "And if they do gain progress, we can have Derek and Jesse take care of that place."

"Maybe another facility, the real one, is being built somewhere. All they need is the activation code," Delilah offered.

"Does anyone know what that code is?" John asked.

Delilah searched through her memory and said, "Not that I am aware of. That chip you had was the last clue, and it's gone. If the hard drives and software were changed, as Watson said, then there is little, if anything left of Sky Net. A whole new AI has to be designed."

"So, we have some breathing room," John concluded.

"We do." Delilah agreed. Wearing a smirk, she added, "And we need to check our John out to be sure he didn't get damaged during the game."

"You're the one who got knocked out," John replied.

"Yes, so come check me out, and don't miss any spots," she said with a grin and towed him towards the stairs.

Cameron grabbed John's other arm. "I think I need to check you both out," she said with an evil grin.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I'm going to bed," she said in a grumble.

.

Monday it was back to class. A speaker was coming in for a talk on morals and values. It was worth a couple extra credits. Not having many electives, John and the girls went.

The auditorium had a scattering of students coming in, with the typical protesters outside objecting to people 'pushing' their morals on others. John 'excused' his way through the crowd.

"You don't want to listen to that crap do you?" a girl yelled in his face. John stopped. Cameron came around John and cast the girl a blank stare.

"Move, or I move you."

"I have my right to …" The girl didn't get to finish. Cameron grabbed her under her arms and threw her into the other protesters. Suddenly, a lane opened up for them. John and Delilah followed Cameron through the gap. A pack of other students followed them through.

Inside, the auditorium was maybe a quarter of the way full. They signed in and went down to take seats near the front. On the stage, a large woman was noting people coming in and setting to papers on the podium in the middle of the stage.

There was a wait until it was clear no one else was coming, then the doors were shut. Once they were, the large woman went to the podium and said. "Good afternoon, everyone. Today we have Mrs. Barksdale as the speaker. She is active in women's rights and a charter member of the Southern California women's legal fund. She came here today to share some of her views on women's health and safety issues. Please welcome Mrs. Barksdale."

A spattering of claps sounded as a thin woman wearing a suit and glasses came on stage.

"Thank you. I have a few questions for you, please raise your hand if it applies to you." she said. "Who here has ever faced harassment, sexual or otherwise?"

She looked over the audience, then asked, "Who here had gotten pregnant in the last two years?"

A few hands went up.

"Who has kept it?"

Only Cameron's hand went up.

"Who here is married?"

John Delilah and Cameron all raised their hands, as did a few others.

"I see. Who here has ever been assaulted?"

Cameron and Delilah looked at each other, then John. "Does football count?" Delilah asked loudly.

Mrs. Barksdale eyed her. "Football players assaulted you?" she asked.

John let out a groan. "That was during the game," he said.

"They assaulted you while the game was being played?" Mrs. Barksdale asked in a higher pitched tone.

"Yes, about nine guys were chasing me and jumped on me," Delilah explained. "I went down, but I didn't loose the ball."

Laughter erupted.

"The Bulldozer!" one girl cried happily.

Delilah turned and waved to her. A forest of hands waved back.

Mrs. Barksdale cleared he throat and said, "Football doesn't count. I'm talking about an aggressor attacking you."

"Well, once. But I only threw him away. I didn't really hurt him," Delilah explained. "That was the only time at the college here."

"Have you been assaulted before?"

"Yes, but they are dead now."

"Delilah, too much information," John said quietly.

Mrs. Barksdale noted John had said something. "Young man, do you care to share something about her experiences?"

"No," John replied.

"But you DO know something about them?" she prodded.

Cameron spoke up and said, "That is classified information. We cannot speak about it."

Mrs. Barksdale eyed them then went back to her presentation. She told about legal help for women who were in trouble, or had been threatened.

John pretty much closed his ears after that. The woman was going on about available legal help, then shifted to the abortion services available so young women would not ruin their lives by having a child. His tuning out was shattered when Cameron spoke up.

"Excuse me!" Cameron said loudly. "How is a child going to ruin someone's life?"

"Many young women are not prepared to deal with a child," Mrs. Barksdale said firmly.

"Then they should not have sex," Cameron countered.

"Babies are a lot of work! Many young women are not emotionally or financially able to keep a child."

"So, you agree with me." Cameron stated.

"I do not. Accidents happen, and I would not expect a young woman in school to bear the burden of having a baby on top of studies. If you are well enough off to hire a baby sitter as well as all the paraphernalia that goes with having a child, good for you! I'm talking about the average young woman who can barely get by. Having a child in school is very hard on students. It is better to abort it."

"You are saying a mother should kill her child?" Cameron asked.

"I am saying it is a legal option, and one that should be considered. Not everyone can be a stay at home mother as you apparently are."

"Excuse me," another girl said. "That's Cameron, the Iron Maiden on our football team. She's hardly a stay-at-home mother."

"Cameron rocks!" another girl announced. Cheers went up.

Mrs. Barksdale paused for a moment to collect herself, then said, "I am happy a woman has broken into that male-dominated sport. I do not think that there is anyone else here who plans on having a baby while still in college."

"I am," Delilah said, raising her hand. "At the end of the football season."

"You are?" a girl behind them asked.

Delilah turned and said, "Yes. Cameron had her baby, so at the end of this normal season, I'll have mine. I should be back in time to play next year."

"You're planning on it?"

"Yes, It's my turn after all," Delilah replied.

"We are loosing focus on the topic at hand," Mrs. Barksdale said. "College is not the place to have children!"

"Your opinion," another girl announced.

"Being an unwed mother is NOT easy," Mrs. Barksdale said firmly. Pointing to Delilah and Cameron she asked, "Are you both married?"

"We are," Cameron and Delilah chorused, then pointed to John.

Mrs. Barksdale cast John the look of death. "You are exploiting these two women?" she asked angrily.

"No. I married Cameron. Later on, she insisted I marry Delilah also. We do quite well together," John told her and smiled.

"You are practicing polygamy, you are aware that is illegal?" Mrs. Barksdale asked in a heavy tone.

"Let me ask you this," John asked. "Could Cameron and Delilah marry each other?"

"That is legal, yes. You marrying both of them is not legal."

"It is," Cameron stated. "Due to certain loop holes in the law, we are allowed to be wed to each other."

Mrs. Barksdale glowered at John then went back to her talk. "I was going to get to immoral behavior later, but I suppose we can cover it now," she said and cast John another glare. She angrily flipped a couple pages and said, "This is one thing all women must be cautious about. Being free of your parents, you must not get drawn into the sex parties. Not only can you end up pregnant, You are at high risk of catching a venereal disease …"

John got to tune back out for a while as Mrs. Barksdale went on. She was going on about the evils of 'multiple' partners, casting John the evil eye now and then. As she flowed along, painting boys as all but useless, she kept glaring at John.

Cameron finally had enough. She stood up and said, "Excuse me. Not only are you narrow minded, but you are also damaging these young women's attitudes. You all but claim marriage is a trap, you also very much dislike the idea of keeping a baby if it is inconvenient at the moment. These are not good values you are imparting on the other students."

"Security, please come down and remove this person," Mrs. Barksdale said.

Cameron turned to the two men coming. Delilah stood up beside her. "I wouldn't if I were you," She told them in a stern voice.

The men stopped. "You are disrupting the lecture," one said.

"Mrs. Barksdale is disrupting free thought," Cameron stated.

"We must report this," the other man warned.

"Then report it," Delilah said. "Touch Cameron, and you will be in pain."

The men looked at the bunch of cell phone were recording what was happening.

"Gentlemen, remove her," Mrs. Barksdale ordered.

The man closest to the stage had seen what happened to the burly boy who tried to grab Delilah. He said, "We will report that Mrs. Connor did not agree with your views. She is not being aggressive nor causing anyone harm." To Cameron he said, "Please, take your seat."

Cameron sat down, Delilah followed suit.

The men walked back off to the side.

"Do I need to call the police in here?" Mrs. Barksdale asked in warning.

Cameron stood up, walked to the stage and showed her badge. "We're already here," she stated.

"That is fake, you need to leave," Mrs. Barksdale stated.

"It is not fake," Cameron told her. She went back over and sat down.

"You shouldn't have done that, Cam," John told her.

A boy leaned over and asked, "What was that? Are you guys narcs?"

"Negative. That is not our concern," Cameron told him.

"Wheew, thought I was busted."

"No, so don't worry," John assured him.

.

As with all good rumors and videos, the short confrontation was spread all over the campus by the end of the day. The pot heads freaked out that there were undercover cops going to school and pleaded that they no longer felt safe here, as did many 'undocumented' students, fearing that the Connors were ICE agents. In the dorms, many toilets flushed. Other students missed classes from having to 'clean' their rooms.

As John expected, John and his wives were called to the main office. They went to find a couple angry professors demanding they be expelled from school for their 'subversion' of the student body.

John frowned and asked, "Who did we subvert? We're going to school and playing football."

One bald professor said, "Revoke their scholarships, they are spies for the government!"

"We are not," Cameron stated.

The financial officer said, "They have all cancelled their scholarships and paid their tuition."

"They are illegally hunting for undocumented people," a woman professor spat.

"Untrue," Delilah said. "We have two on the team, they are good players, why would we want to do anything to them?"

John spoke up and said, "The work we do … for the government has nothing to do with the college or students. We just came to learn. The things we deal with are a long ways away from college."

"You admit you're spying for the government!"

"Rotten, filthy PIGS!" the woman spat.

Delilah eyed the woman's girth and said, "You are, not me."

"EXPELL THEM!" the angry woman spat.

John let out a sigh and said, "If you don't mind law suits, that's your option. That is, unless you're willing to give us our tuition back."

"Everyone calm down!" The director said. "Mr. Connor, you claim nothing you do for the government happens here? Can you give me a contact to verify your claim?"

John searched for a piece of paper. Cameron pulled out a note page. "May I borrow a pen?" she asked.

John handed his over.

Cameron wrote down a phone number as she said, "Call this number. You will speak with a Colonel Watson. He will tell you everything you are authorized to know." She handed it to the director.

"A colonel?" he asked. "As in army Colonel?"

"He will give you the answers he is authorized to give," Cameron said again.

"I still think you are here to harass the poor young people who came to this country just to have a life!" the fat woman stated.

Cameron tipped her head slightly and asked, "Why would we do that?"

"Because you are the epitome of the self-righteous rich folk that can only see others like yourselves and spit upon less fortunate people!"

John shook his head sadly and said, "You have no idea who we are."

"If there is nothing else, we should go," Cameron stated.

The Director said, "Yes, thank you for your time."

.

The Director went to his office and called the number. He got a secretary.

"Colonel Watson's office," came a sweet voice.

"Yes, this is Antonio Devon, the Director at Canyon college. I am calling to speak to a Colonel Watson. I was given this number by Cameron Connor. Is he available?"

"Hold on, please."

Antonio waited for several minutes, then a male voice came on.

"Mr. Devon, tell me your interest in Cameron Connor."

"Is this Colonel Watson?"

"Your interest, Mr. Devon. What is it?" the voice said firmly.

"I am concerned that there are three people here at Canyon who are students. A John Connor, Cameron Connor and Delilah Connor. I understand they work for you. Can you tell me what purpose they serve under your command?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Getting irritated, he said, "I want to know if whatever they do, has anything to do with them being in this college."

"They have no duties having anything to do with College, other than basic law enforcement powers. If they see a crime that they must act on to preserve public or personal safety, they have the authority to do so. That is all you need know. Any further inquiry into them may lead to investigation and possible interrogation. Is there anything else?"

Antonio swallowed. He did not want to be hauled off and interrogated. He'd heard of that happening to people. "Sir, I was only concerned if they were here for a mission," he explained.

"Their duties have nothing to do with your school, so they do not concern you."

"Yes, thank you, Sir,"

*click*

Antonio hung his phone up. There was no doubt by his tone or his words, that was an army man. The army didn't usually have people mingling in civilian life, or were so close mouthed about them. That was, unless they were special forces. That didn't make sense either, the Connors were all too young to be involved with something like that. Then again, they were very impressive on the football field.

Was it possible that three secret army assassins were going to his school? Even if that was the case, he had a feeling it would be bad news for him if he attempted to uncover them.


	32. Chapter 32

CH 32

It took a couple weeks for the students to settle down from the 'scare' they had from finding out the Connors were 'agents'. One boy, Carlos had stopped coming to team practices. Cameron tracked him down in the cafeteria. She came up behind him and sat down by him as he was talking with a group of Hispanics.

"Hello Carlos," she said.

Carlos turned pale, "H… hey Cameron." he said nervously.

Cameron cast him a worried look and asked, "I was wondering why you've been missing practice. We've been missing you."

"Aren't you ICE?" he asked.

"No," Cameron said. Discretely, she showed him her badge and said, "See this? We are only after people who do harm, whoever they are. You don't need to fear us. Let the other team do that. You are a good tight end, Carlos, please come back."

Carlos stared at her. "You don't care I'm illegal?"

Cameron shook her head. Leaning close, she whispered, "I never asked permission to come here either. Don't spread that around."

"No shit?" he asked happily.

"There is no feces involved," she said firmly.

Carlos laughed, then gave her a hug and cried, "Muchacha! You're one of us!"

"Senora, not muchacha. I have a bambino," Cameron said, correcting him.

Carlos grinned at her happily. "You are one of a kind, Cameron."

"Actually, myself and Delilah are two of a kind. You'll be coming to practice then?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Coach Benson already told me I better come."

"See you this afternoon then," Cameron said with a smile. She got up and left.

.

Delilah found that while some students avoided her, she had attracted a pack of girls who wanted her to be in their sorority. Walking between classes, the eight girls were desperate to get members to expand their political minded group.

"Sorry, not interested," Delilah told them as they hovered around her.

"Please, we need members, and you've shown you believe in life as we do!" the short brunette named Ruby pleaded. "You can help our cause."

"I'm not interested in political causes," Delilah reminded her. "I think I already made that clear." She stepped into the street-wide walkway and headed for the next building she had class in with Cameron. The pack stayed with her.

"How can we help people see the truth if no one will help us?" Ruby asked.

"People must see what's right for them. Preaching only one side of … anything is detrimental, whatever it is," Delilah told her.

Gunfire sounded from behind them. Delilah spun to see a jeep coming. The windshield was down, the passenger had a gun and was taking shots at people.

"Get down, Now!" Delilah yelled, and turned to stride towards the jeep.

Hearing gun shots, the girls screamed. Ruby and few did drop to the ground, a couple others ran screaming, making themselves targets.

.

Ruby dropped like Delilah ordered. It was an automatic action. She did look to at the Jeep speeding towards them, and Delilah walked straight at it. _What is she doing!_ Ruby opened her mouth to yell to Delilah and saw Delilah's arm raise up to point at the jeep.

The shooter in the Jeep aimed and shot Delilah. Then a white lightning bolt, was the best her mind could come up with, shot from Delilah and hit the Jeep. The Jeep exploded.

The wreck, now burning, rolled on until Delilah shouldered into it, crashing it to a stop. One burning body tumbled out. Delilah walked over and stomped on his neck. Walking around the burning vehicle, Delilah reached in and pulled out an upper torso, which caught her arm in fire. She looked at the face, then dropped it and shook her arm fast to put herself out.

Ruby lay stunned at what just happened. She watched Delilah look around, the jog over to where a boy was screaming on the ground. Delilah had been shot, she'd seen it! Her right arm was trailing tendrils of smoke. And what the hell did she do to that jeep? Ruby felt like she was watching an action movie. What she just saw couldn't be real!

.

Delilah went over to the wounded boy and made him lie flat. 'Stop moving, you'll only bleed faster," she admonished.

"I'm shot, I'm shot!" the boy cried as he held his stomach.

"Yes, you are, and flailing is only making it worse. Hold your hand over the wound and stop moving," Delilah said firmly. She called Colonel Watson, then 911 and reported the incident. She wanted to call Cameron and John to let them know what happened but the 911 operator insisted she couldn't hang up.

"You … your arm," the boy gasped.

Delilah looked at her right arm. Her sleeve was burned away and the flesh was blackened and bubbled up. Right, she'd reached into the burning jeep to get a look at the driver's face. "Yes, I am injured, You are bleeding. Do your best to calm down. Being excited only makes you bleed faster."

Gazing at her in wonder, he said, "You should be screaming in pain."

"I don't scream," Delilah stated. She studied his wound, or rather, two wounds. An entry hole was on his left side, an exit hole on the right. "The bullet went through you shallow… I smell nothing bad. Most likely it's only skin and some muscle damage."

He looked down as his stomach. "You sure?"

"Yes, Calm down and keep pressure on the wounds," she told him and guided his hands to press on the holes.

Sirens sounded, growing closer.

Looking around, Delilah didn't see anyone else that looked hurt. Most had fled. A few were peeking out from the corners of buildings. Ruby and another girl were still lying on the road, but there was no blood.

"You … you're shot too!" the boy said, looking at the trickle of blood below those large breasts of hers.

"Yes, this shirt is ruined," Delilah agreed. Seeing the police cars and ambulance coming, Delilah waved and told the 911 operator, "Police and ambulance have arrived. I am getting their attention."

"We have confirmed assistance has arrived. You may hang up now."

Delilah did, and her phone rang. "Delilah."

"This is Colonel Watson, what is you status?"

"Two perps down, one student shot, interior graze, ambulance and police on scene, Situation, stable."

"Do you require recovery?"

"Negative, John and Cameron will assist me."

"Very well, a team will be standing by if needed."

Delilah then called John and explained what happened. Seeing the ambulance crew running over, she pointed to the boy on the ground as she turned to keep her arm from their view. "He's shot, interior abdomen graze," she told them.

They focused on the boy, she walked back over to Ruby, who was still lying on the ground, watching her.

A policeman jogged up to her. "Ma'am! Are you wounded?"

"I'm fine, that girl looks like she's in shock," Delilah said, pointing to Ruby, making sure she was turned so her arm didn't show.

Other police were calling for more help and a fire truck, staying clear of the burning jeep. Ruby was sat up by the closest officer, who was talking to her. Delilah noted an officer clearing people out of the area. That was a good idea. Seeing John and Cameron, she walked towards them. John ran to her and put a jacket around her shoulders. An officer came over and told them to stay back. They left the scene.

.

"Extremists," the police Captain said as he looked at his men from across his desk. "The two men who were in that jeep, one we are able to identify. They managed to wound two students before their vehicle blew up. There is no doubt about that, we have witness testimony. What the mystery here is, where's the young woman who supposedly blew the jeep up, killing them, then helped the man with the stomach wound before she disappeared? By accounts, she'd been shot mid-torso and her right arm looked like a fried chicken leg. So, gentlemen, where is she?"

"We don't know. We've got her name. Delilah Connor. Apparently she's on the football team. They call her the bulldozer. Where she is, we don't know. We searched the campus and local hospitals and clinics. From what her reported injuries were, she could be lying dead someplace. She had to be in shock."

"Sir, an Officer did see her at the scene. We have the full report. She guided the ambulance crew to one of the wounded, then told him where a girl was lying in shock. One Ruby Krause, saw the whole thing. She claims Delilah took a shot from the gunman, then with a lightning bolt, blew the jeep up then rammed into it to stop it. The wounded man also stated he saw Delilah with the torso wound and sporting third degree burns over most of her right arm. He said it was still smoking. According to him, she was lucid and got him calmed down and stayed with him until the paramedics arrived."

"Part of that statement has to be bullshit," another detective stated. "Shot and severely burned, and she acts like she doesn't even feel it?"

A knock sounded on the door frame. Mark walked in and waved. "Hi guys, I'm special agent Mark Riggs with the FBI." He showed his badge and said, "We're taking this case over, matters of National Security. This is bigger than a pair of loonies shooting up students. We don't mean to step on any toes here, but this is only a piece of a much larger case we're working on."

"We're missing a key witness. Delilah Connor," the Captain stated.

"We have her," Mark assured him. "Don't worry, she's being treated at an undisclosed location. Officer Connor is getting the best treatment we can give."

"Officer Connor?" the Captain asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," Mark then said in a hushed tone. "We thought these guys might try something like this, so we planted a couple students here to intercept them."

"You knew this was going to happen?" the Captain accused.

"No, we had an idea, not enough information to act. Hey, we don't have enough people to cover every possible, just be lucky we guessed right. If Delilah wasn't there to stop them, you could have ended up with more than just two wounded students."

"It would be nice to be informed of a possible threat!" the Captain growled.

Mark nodded and said, "By the way, there is always a possible threat, so keep on your toes. Can I have the files, please?"

One of the detectives asked, "Can you tell us how Delilah Connor walked away with third degree burns and taking a bullet in the torso? Either should have put her down."

Mark smiled at him and said, "Sorry, that's classified information." casting the Captain an apologetic smile, he said, "My boss really wants those files."

.

Classes were cancelled for two days due to the shooting incident. Police were thick on the campus, even after the remains of the jeep were removed.

To everyone's shock, no one had taken a video of the event, Ruby was the main source of information. That meant rumor took hold to pass information.

Delilah saw the gunmen charging, and shot back at them with some kind of flamethrower.

Delilah rammed the gunmen, making the jeep explode, and before she died, helped another boy with his wounds. Her body was taken away.

Delilah was a government plant to stop the terrorists at any cost, and gave her life for the students. Her body was taken away by men in black suits and sunglasses.

Delilah was in reality, an alien who was sent here by the government, She blew the jeep up and killed the gunmen. Her body was taken to area 51 for study.

By the time the rumors circled around, Delilah was a true to life 'Wonder Woman' from another planet. Her body was taken away to area 51 to conduct experiments on her remains and try to raise her from the dead.

.

While the tales of the hero Delilah grew taller, Delilah herself was in her black bikini, laid back in a lounger by the pool, her right arm wrapped up in a white bandage, a white glove on her hand as she shared her ice cream with Joan who was on her lap.

"Ice keem!" Allison cried as she ran over and climbed up with Joan.

Following Allison, Claire said, "I see you're not dead as some people are claiming?"

Delilah fed Allison a spoon of ice cream and asked, "Who thinks I'm dead?"

"OH, just most of the student body at your college," Claire said a she took a seat nearby. "I heard they are arraigning a candlelight service in your honor."

Delilah grew a smirk and asked, "Am I invited?"

"Do you want to give them a shock?' Claire replied with a crooked grin. "Seriously, the rumor mill has you dead and on a slab at area 51. There's many people believing it."

Delilah let out a sigh. "I suppose I should call the school paper."

"Yes, before people have a heart attack when they see you're not dead."

"Can I use your phone?"

.

Delilah called the main office, then the school paper, then the local news, assuring them all she was alive and well, and recovering at an undisclosed location, and she would be attending classes when school opened back up tomorrow.

John and Cameron came out, John in shorts and Cameron in a blue bikini. Seeing Delilah giving her ice dream to the little girls, Cameron said, "Hi, mom," then eyed Delilah and added, "Delilah, that was for you."

"Aww, how can you say no to these cute little girls?" Delilah asked.

"You better start learning how," Claire warned.

"No problem, I got some good, greasy sausages for Delilah, coming up as soon as Mark and Mom get back, " John told them.

"No greasy sausages for you," Cameron told him.

"Kill joy," John grumbled.

"I'm the cholesterol police," Cameron said firmly, which made Claire laugh.

"Police, huh?" John asked with a smirk. "You gonna strip search me?"

"Already did. It's your turn," Cameron replied with a grin.

"Can I just gaze in wonder and admiration?" John asked.

"Strip searching is more fun," Cameron stated.

"As you wish."

"Not in front of the girls," Delilah called. "Besides, it's my turn."

Claire told them, "Students at Canyon think Delilah died, you're going to have to correct them on that."

Cameron looked at Delilah, who returned her gaze. The both grew a grin. "I think we can do that," Delilah said.

"The End Zone bar, just off the campus?" Cameron asked.

"Sounds good. They have a karaoke machine, don't they?"

"They do. Say about … eight?" Cameron asked.

Their grins grew wider.

John shifted his gaze between them. "What are you planning?" he asked cautiously.

Cameron cast her grin at John and said, "Something I think Mark would like."

"That's gotta be trouble," he said with a sigh.

"Not really, and you have to help us," Cameron said with a twisted smirk.

"Great," John said with a sigh.

.

Cameron and John went early and talked to the proprietor. As Cameron suspected, there was going to be a gathering there in Delilah's honor. The whole football team, the soccer team and many others were attending. He was expecting a packed house.

Cameron told him what they had planned. The proprietor agreed to keep one end of the bar clear, and they could come in the back. John still wasn't sure this was a good idea, but at the college it did take a noticeable event to draw attention.

.

Ruby went to the End Zone with her friends. They knew Delilah had saved their lives. No one knew for sure what happened to her, but the strong rumor was - despite how ridiculous parts of it sounded- that Delilah had died of her wounds. There was no one who claimed differently, or anyone who'd seen her alive after the incident.

They went at six, and seeing the huge crowd there, they talked with others. A couple football players, Tom and Greg sat at a table nearby.

"It's hard to believe," Greg said as he stared into his beer. "I mean, she was so damn tough! This bullshit she was shot … no, she couldn't have been."

"I saw it," Ruby told him.

The football player looked at her. She pointed to her chest, just under her breasts. "She was shot right here, and her arm…" she choked back a cry and added, "It was so burned it was black. Smoke was coming off it. Yet, she still went over and helped that other boy."

"Delilah was special," Carlos said with a sniff. "I feel really bad for Cameron, they were really tight, ya know?"

Tom asked Ruby, "You saw it?"

Ruby nodded. "I don't think the police believe me. We heard the shots …" She told them what happened, the bolt of light, the jeep blowing up "… and it was still coming at us, burning, so she rammed into it. It stopped but …" she sniffled again. "It burned her bad," she whined, then broke down and cried.

"I can see that," Greg said firmly. "Delilah would ram into it to stop it from hurting anyone."

"But, where is she?" Tom asked. "I mean is there going to be a funeral?"

"She was taken to area 51, Delilah was an alien," A girl stated.

"Oh bullshit!" Carlos stated. "Don't believe that crap! If Cameron heard you say that, she'd smack you into next week!"

"How about if we try to find out any real news," Tom suggested.

"There won't be, the government took her body," A boy at another table said.

Greg stood up, wavering, and said, "Enough shit! Delilah was one of us! A muchacho, right Carlos?"

"She was!" Carlos proclaimed. Several players raised their glasses in agreement.

"So enough with the men in black and area 51 shit!" Greg spat at the crowd. "Have any of you ever thought that maybe someone was after her and she had to hide? We don't know where she went, but stop with the stupid fuckin rumors already!"

An amplified voice announced. "Delilah hasn't gone far."

Everyone looked. John was seated at the end of the bar on a stool. He had a microphone.

"Hi guys, I'm John Connor, Delilah's husband. Delilah isn't dead, nor is she being kept in some secret vault. She's here, and because all of you thought enough of her to come here tonight, she decided to do something for you." He reached over and touched the play button on the karaoke machine. "I take it you've heard of Robert Palmer's 'Simply Irresistible? I think she is."

John hit play, Delilah in her Thing Two T-shirt and a pair of jean shorts jumped up on the end of the bar, sporting her bandaged arm. John began singing the lyrics as Delilah danced a sexy belly twisting dance.

The crowd exploded in ear shattering cheers.

 _How can it be permissible?_

 _She compromise my principle_

 _Yeah yeah_

 _That kind of love is mythical_

 _She's anything but typical!_

 _._

 _She's a craze you'll endorse_

 _She's a powerful force_

 _You're obliged to conform_

 _When there's no other course_

 _._

 _She used to look good to me_

 _But now I find her,_

 _Simply irresistible,_

 _Simply Irresistible!_

 _._

In the space of a heartbeat, the mood went from somber and subdued, to instant party atmosphere. Many cheered upon seeing Delilah alive and intact. Others cheered because a drop-dead gorgeous and scantily clad woman was doing a sexy dance on the bar. Everyone stood up, some in disbelief, and cheered loudly.

 _Her loving is so powerful_

 _It's simply unavoidable!_

 _The trend is irreversible_

 _The woman is invincible!_

 _._

 _She's a natural law and she leaves me in awe_

 _She deserves the applause, I surrender because_

 _She used to look good to me_

 _But now I find her,_

 _Simply irresistible,_

 _Simply Irresistible!_

The crowd started clapping in time with the music and singing along with the chorus as Delilah danced and John sang. Even Ruby, who was in shock as her mind told her there was no way Delilah could be here and looking that good, Clapped and cheered at seeing her up and dancing.

They had started at the perfect time. With the heavy sorrow in the crowd just taking hold, the Connors picked the right time to begin the show.

To keep the fast pace up, Cameron jumped up on the stage in her Thing One T-shirt and jean shorts and they started another song.

 _Shake, Shake, Shake, Senora_

 _Shake your body line_

 _Shake, Shake, Shake, Senora_

 _shake it all the time_

 _Work work work, senora_

 _Work your body line_

 _Work work work, senora_

 _Work it all the time_

 _Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

 _OK, I believe you._

When that song finished with a crowd dancing in front or the bar, they did the party song 'Mony' that got many people singing and dancing with the song.

After the music, Delilah took a cross legged seat on the bar, with Cameron beside her. John gave Cameron the microphone.

"Listen up everyone!" Cameron announced. "We know you have many questions. We heard the wild rumors also. We will straighten out what we can. There are many things about us we can't talk about though, so please understand that. Delilah was hurt from engaging those gunmen, but as you can see, she is healing. One at a time, please come up and ask your question." She then handed the microphone to Delilah.

One boy came close, Delilah pointed the microphone at him. He blushed and asked, "With how much you can do, it's like you're Wonder Woman. Are you from another planet?"

"I'm sorry, I cannot answer that. We can't say where we are from," Delilah told him.

A girl came up and asked, "Are you human?"

"We are very close, close enough to have children, but no, we are not completely human," Delilah explained.

Another boy asked, "We hear your work for the government. Some kind of special super secret stuff."

Delilah looked at John and Cameron, then said, "We do work with them. We also have badges that allow us to do things like stop terrorists or anyone who is out to hurt someone else. What some people were worried about, being narcs or looking for illegal Immigrants, that doesn't concern us. Our only focus is keeping people as safe as we can."

Another girl came up. "In that lecture, you said you can both marry John because of a loophole in the law that prevents polygamy. What loophole is that?"

"Easy, we're not human so that law does not apply to us," Delilah told her.

Tom came up next. Looking at John, he said, "You are one lucky bastard. How is it you met two fantastic looking girls and married them?"

The microphone was passed to him. John shrugged and said, "Just lucky I guess."

A chorus of, "Aww come on!" rained down on him.

Cameron motioned for the mike. John gave it to her. In a serious tone, Cameron said, "I tried to kill John. There was an … entity that had me programmed, I think is the best word, to find John and kill him. That was my mission, my only thought. Obviously, I didn't. John caught me and disabled me. Instead of destroying me like he should have done, he got rid of that programming in my head and saved me. John gave me a chance to live, free of being controlled. He taught me and explained things to me. John let me be myself. That is why I love him." She then gave Delilah the mike.

"My story is the same," Delilah told the crowd who was listening intently. "Only in my case, Cameron was there to help save me. I am very thankful she was, too. The entity that send me on my killing spree is no longer around. John and Cameron made sure of that. They are my heros. Without them, I would not have a life. That is why I wanted to join them in marriage. I cannot fathom not being with them."

"Damn!' one guy said loudly. "It sounds like you were fighting a war!"

"That is correct," Delilah said. Cameron motioned for the mike. Delilah handed it over.

Cameron said, "The forces we fight are not apparent, but still very dangerous. Imagine, the small action Delilah took at college against those gunmen a daily occurrence, but many time worse against hundreds. We really like being in school and playing football. This is like a vacation for us. I like to think of it as a reward for saving … all the innocents."

Ruby finally made it up to ask her question. "Delilah, does that mean you've been shot before?"

Delilah nodded. "Yes." She grinned and glanced at Cameron. "At least I wasn't hit with a rocket ."

"I was shielded inside the tank," Cameron reminded her.

"Not when you were half out of the top," Delilah replied. "You looked so ugly, your mother screamed," she said with a grin.

With a huff, Cameron said, "We can't talk about that."

"NO, we can't," John added firmly.

"Let's just say that was no big deal," Delilah told Ruby. "I'm only glad I was there to stop those guys before someone got killed."

Greg came up and pointing, he said, "That's why you're so tough! Man, I'd be tough like that too if I was fighting wars every day!"

Cameron cast him an apologetic grin and said, "Greg, you'd be dead. Our makeup is somewhat different than yours. It allows us to take severe damage and keep going. We are very human-like, but we are not human."

John's phone rang. He picked it up. "Mom? … she what? … Ok, OK, we'll be right there!"

To his wives, he said, "Joan is leaning how to climb, and Mom can't get her down."

"Where is she?" Cameron asked as she got up.

"On her way to the roof."

Cameron and Delilah jumped off the bar. Delilah waved and said, "See you in school." They ran out.

.

The latticework that made the walls to the arbor in the garden looked nice, and Joan discovered it was like a ladder for her. Underneath, Sarah stood ready to catch as Joan stopped climbing to pull one of the flowers off.

"Joan, come down," Sarah said sternly.

"Gammy, up!" Joan cried and climbed higher to play with a vine.

"No! Not up, down!" Sarah cried in frustration.

Joan climbed to the side to shake another vine. Seeing a purple flower, she sniffed it. Yum! That smelled good!

"NO! Joan, don't eat that!" Sarah wailed. The arbor didn't look sturdy enough the Sarah to climb up on.

Joan stuffed the flower in her mouth. Making a sour face she spit it out and wiped her mouth with her hands. Joan tipped out, small arms wind milling as she yelped out in surprise and fell.

Heart in her throat, Sarah was set to catch her. Joan fell into her, the impact drove Sarah to the ground. She felt a crack in her shoulder.

Joan rolled over on the ground as Sarah cried in pain and held her shoulder. "Gammy?" Joan asked. Seeing Gammy cry, Joan cried too.

"JOAN?" Cameron called as she ran towards them.

Joan ran towards Cameron,. "Mommy un, Gammy urt!"

Cameron scooped up Joan, Delilah and John went over to help Sarah up.

Clinging to Cameron, Joan cried, "Gammy hurt!"

John tried to help Sarah up. "Mom, let get you inside…"

Sarah smacked him with her good arm and got up, glaring at him. In a growl, she said, "From now on ONE of you are going to stay with her! Joan is uncontrollable!"

"But school…" John started, and was cut off by an angry Sarah.

"One of you WILL stay with that child!" Sarah growled.

"You're right, Sarah," Cameron said. "We will watch Joan." It was obvious Sarah couldn't handle Joan any more.

"Joan sawee Gammy urt!" Joan cried.

Cameron pointed to Sarah and told Joan in her terminator voice, "That is what happens when you don't listen, people get hurt. This was your fault, Joan."

"Joan sawee!"

"Then do what you are told to do!" Cameron said sternly.

Joan rubbed her eyes with a wrist and hugged Cameron. Cameron patted her back and said, "Don't disobey again."

Luckily, Sarah wasn't hurt that bad. She cringed at the partial glass of milk Delilah gave her, but winced it down, knowing where it came from and there were healing nanites in it.

.

Even though the skin damage to Delilah's arm was greatly reduced, she still wore the full arm length bandage capped with a white glove to school. Walking onto campus, everyone they met voiced their relief that Delilah wasn't dead. Though from last night a new rumor was going around.

Delilah and Cameron WERE Amazon warriors from another planet, but it was being kept secret by the government.

Not having many classes today, John and his wives went to practice early. In workout sweats, Cameron fired passes to John and Delilah at the other end of the field then did a few drills before more team members showed up.

Coach Benson came out to get Delilah's attention. "Twenty three, over here!" he called and waved her over.

Delilah ran over to him. "Yes?"

"How are you feeling?" he asked, and pointed to her arm.

"I'm fine," she said and moved her arm to show him. "It's only some skin damage."

"I have to bench you for this next game," he told her. "I should have done it when you took that hit last game that knocked you out. You getting wounded by those gunmen, I need a doctor to clear you before you can put you back on the field."

Delilah cast him a surprised look. "But, I'm fine."

Coach Benson shrugged. "Not my rules. I need a doctor's clearance."

"Why?"

"The report I got said you were shot and severely burned. I can't play you until I get doctor's clearance in writing," he told her.

"Well, that sucks," she said in a huff.

"It does, go find a doctor and get me that clearance," he said firmly.

.

A call to John Henry and Delilah was medically cleared by 'Dr. Henry' to play football. No one would believe she'd seen a doctor short notice on a Friday afternoon, so even with John Henry faxing it to the Connors, they had to wait until at least Tuesday for it to be believable. Sunday came, and Delilah got in uniform with everyone else to sit out the game. All she was allowed to do was stand up for the opening ceremonies, then take her place on the team bench. JOan was eager to come sit with 'Mommy too', so Delilah collected her from Clair and sat on the bench with Joan in her lap.

"Welcome back to Canyon football!" Pete announced heartily. "This is the real game between UCLA and Canyon. UCLA has to be a bit nervous. We do have a change in the roster. 23, Delilah Connor has been benched due to injuries. We can see her right arm is bandaged up, but she's still out here supporting her team. Is that a little child on her lap? Number 37 had replaced 23 in the defensive lineup. Mike just what happened to the Bulldozer?

"It's a mystery, Pete. There is nothing official. All we know is she stopped armed gunmen who came onto campus. When I say stopped, both men were killed when their vehicle exploded. Being the Bulldozer, it's said she rammed their vehicle head on and it caught fire. Some say she was also shot by those men. To be shot, hit a car head on, and burned badly this last week and still be here today for the game, shows Delilah has a ton of guts and will power!"

"And a ton of raw toughness! Usually, people VS a car, and the car wins hands down. At the very last, she has to be hurting. Even showing up for the game shows her dedication."

"Absolutely! OK, the teams are coming out for the coin toss … There it is .. UCLA won the toss, Canyon will kick off!"

Delilah watched the kickoff. It was good, UCLA made 22 yards on the return.

"Ally!" Joan cried and pointed behind them. Delilah got up with Joan and went back to where Claire and Daniel were sitting with Allison. The girls wanted to watch the game together. Delilah got them seated on the barrier and said, "You have to sit still."

Delilah stood beside them as UCLA slowly made their way down the field. Canyon stopped them at the Canyon 35 and got a turnover on downs.

"There goes Mommy One and Daddy!" Delilah said as Cameron took the field for the offense. The girls cheered. They watched them huddle, then line up. Cameron passed to a receiver, then ran and jumped over the line. The receiver threw back to her. It was high, Cameron jumped up and caught it. Hitting the ground in time to set her feet and ram into the player coming to tackle her, she got another 12 yards before she was mobbed.

.

Cameron watched the defense closely. The linemen weren't pushing too hard to get through. The next play, she faked a pass, then took off to the right and ran through an almost, opening, knocking a surprised linebacker to the side. This time she did get though the chaos and into open field. She dodged a tackle by a safety and ran flat out into the end zone.

"Yay, Mommy!" Delilah cried, which caused Joan and Allison to also raise their arms and cry "Yay!"

.

For Joan and Allison, the game was fun, watching the big people struggle back and forth.

The game was a little more even, UCLA did get a touchdown that was answered immediately by Canyon. Half time still had them down 28 to 7, but at least they had points on the board. At halftime, Delilah went with Claire to change the girls.

Coming out of the girl's locker room, Delilah and Claire were met by a reporter.

"Ohhh how cute!" the woman cried upon seeing the little girls. "Delilah, I'm Chastity Barclay with the local news. May I ask you some questions?"

"I'll tell Cameron and John you'll be right along," Claire said and left with Allison. Joan stared at the camera on her.

"I'll answer, if I can," Delilah said tentatively.

"Could you confirm what happened when those gunmen came to the college?"

"I'm sorry, that incident is under investigation. I was told not to discuss it," Delilah replied.

"Can you at least confirm that you were shot and received bad burns? I see your right arm is bandaged up to your shoulder."

"I did get singed some, yes. It is healing." Delilah told her.

"What about being shot?"

"Do I look like I've been shot?" Delilah asked in return. Joan held an arm out at the camera then waved and giggled.

"Who's this cutie?"

With a grin, Delilah said, "Cameron's daughter, Joan. She's a hand full. Then again, we would expect no less."

"I bet she is! You plan on having your own child soon?"

"At the end of this season," Delilah confirmed.

"You must have your hands full! College studies, football and raising children. How do you do it?"

Delilah shrugged and aid, "The best I can tell you is that if you want things, you have to work for them. No one is going to give us a degree, or anything else. We want a family, so we are working at that too. Yes, it keeps us all busy, at times there's no room for anything else. That's why playing football is fun, so we work at that too."

"Yay!" Joan yelled, arm in the air, which made them laugh. Joan giggled with them.

"Do you think you'll be back on the field any time soon?"

"I am hoping for next week. It's hard to sit out a game," Delilah told her. "I came to play, not sit and watch. I'm seeing a doctor tomorrow to get checked out."

"Tomorrow? Isn't that a bit soon?"

"The reports of my injuries were exaggerated," Delilah explained. "Understand, the incident with those gunmen was fast and chaotic. When people are scared, they have a tendency to think, or see things are worse than they are."

"So, you didn't get shot?"

"Just because someone shoots at you, doesn't mean they hit," Delilah told her. "The boy that was wounded was barely hit, just a deep graze. I think those guys were bad shots."

"Did you ram into that car?"

"It was a jeep, and it was only rolling. I stopped it from rolling over a couple students, but by then it wasn't powered. It was on fire," Delilah explained. "And yes, that's how I got burned."

"What made it blow up?"

"I don't know. Maybe they had explosives that went off? I'm only grateful it did blow up. That made stopping it a whole lot easier," Delilah told her.

The roar of the crowd sounded from outside. Delilah said, "I think I better get back out there, it sounds like the game is starting again."

"Yes, thank you for your time," Chastity said, then turned to the Camera as Delilah left. "This had been Chastity Barclay talking with the Bulldozer, Delilah Connor!"

.

Mr. Townsend sat down with Leon Rains in his office. "We are prepared," Mr. Townsend said confidently. "My security man is very anal about his job. I had to institute a normal E-mail system to just get a leak out these Connor people so they will come after us. He wasn't happy about that. Since he found out someone may come to shut us down, he's arraigning emergency transpiration, and making sure we have radar coverage to give us warning."

Leon Rains nodded slowly as he studied his fingernails, and said, "It appears you are more than ready. Appearances can be deceiving, Mr. Townsend. Your security man has the right ideas. So did the previous men who thought they had all the bases covered."

Looking right at Mr. Townsend , Leon said, "I have had the Connors discretely watched. They are having a good time playing football and going to school. In short, they are ignoring you. They have not moved nor lifted a finger to do anything against you. What does that tell you, Mr. Townsend?"

Mr. Townsend happily said, "That tells me they don't know anything about what I'm doing. I think they are slow to catch onto my e-mail hook."

Leon shook his head. "Wrong assumption," he said flatly. "What that tells me is they know exactly what you are doing, and are not going to fall for your trap. So tell me, how could they possibly know what you're up to?"

Taken aback, Mr. Townsend said, "They … can't know! The building is secure, physically and electronically. No one but our own people can even get in the compound, let alone into any important spaces."

"You underestimate our enemy," Leon said with a growl. "They scan the internet and hack into places no one should be able to! If it's happening on the web, they know about it! The place in Mexico was guarded well, the same as yours, yet they came by land an LEVELLED IT! They do know where your facility is, and they know it is not real. That tells me one of your people are feeding them information. You have a spy, Mr. Townsend. Find the spy and make him DEAD!"

"a… spy? How?"

"Find the spy," Leon growled.

Shaking, Mr. Townsend said, "I will get right on it. I'm sure Mr. Reese will track him down in no time."

Leon lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Reese? What is his first name?"

"Derek, he is really…" Mr. Townsend stopped speaking when Leon pulled a gun and pointed it right at his head. His face was livid in anger.

"DEREK REESE IS YOUR SECURITY MAN?" Leon wailed at him. "I should kill you for being a FUCKING MORON! Derek Reese is one of John Connor's men! I bet he has acquired explosives, hasn't he?"

Staring down the very large looking muzzle of that pistol, Mr. Townsend weakly said, "He has, to facilitate getting equipment out…"

"You mean TAKING equipment out!" Leon spat back at him. "No wonder Connor knows so much, one of his men is your HEAD OF SECURITY!" Leon cocked the pistol and growled, "I want Reese's head on a fucking platter, and I DO mean a PLATTER! GO back to your island, shoot the bastard , cut his head off and bring to back to me. DO. YOU. HEAR?"

Mr. Townsend nodded vigorously. "Yeah, yeah" he agreed weakly.

"Then move your ass before I shoot you for being stupid!" Leon snapped.

Mr. Townsend quickly got up and ran out. Still shaking in fear and the betrayal he'd just learned, he was going to go back and kill Reese.

All the way back on his private plane, Mr. Townsend plotted Derek's murder. He didn't want to be caught, so he'd have to be sly about it. Since Reese knew everything and all the security people jumped at his command, he'd have to find the perfect place to kill Reese. Since he had to cut the man's head off, there was going to be a large pool of blood so it couldn't be in his office. Cameras were everywhere, so it couldn't even be in the facility. It took him a while, but he planned Mr. Reese's demise.


	33. Chapter 33

CH 33

All the charges were set. Derek knew the building structure, and had the main columns covered. At the signal, this whole place would come crashing down into rubble. Derek did his daily rounds, then checked on the new marina. They had three ocean going speedboats. Long, slim beasts with nothing but engine and fuel tank aboard. He grinned at seeing Jesse come up out of a storage hatch of one.

"Everything clean down there?" he asked

"Bright and shiny," Jesse replied. Coming over to the dock, she said quietly, "And enough C-4 to obliterate it once it gets out past the island radar. Two minutes and if the sensors don't pick up a radar pulse, that will set the charges off."

Derek nodded and said, "Good. Let's just hope the radar doesn't go down."

"Mr. Reese, do you have a moment?" Mr. Townsend called.

Derek turned to see him coming down the dock towards them. "What does he want?" he whispered.

"By the look on his face, it isn't tea time," Jesse noted.

The smile on the man's face was pasted on, his eyes looked hard. "Stay close," Derek whispered. To Townsend, he asked, "What can I do for you, Sir?"

Townsend eyed the boat and said, "I'd like to see what's on these boats. Maybe take a ride?"

"Sure thing," Derek said easily. He motioned for Townsend to follow, and went over on the boat into the driver cockpit.

Mr. Townsend looked at Jesse, and with a fake smile he said, "She doesn't need to be here."

Derek stopped, his hand in the hatch to the interior. "Why's that?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you alone," Mr. Townsend said, then added, "It' a serious matter."

"I see," Derek said and straightened up. "So, how serious is it?"

Townsend turned to Jesse and said, "Leave or you're fired."

"Derek told me to stay," Jesse said flatly.

Townsend cast her a cowl. "You are not wanted here, go!"

"You went to see your boss," Derek stated, which made Townsend turn to stare at him.

"Found out who I was, didn't you?" Derek asked. He added, "That's fine, we know where you went. We've been looking for your boss. That's why your freshly dry-cleaned suit has a tracker in it."

"You bastard!" Townsend spat. He went to pull his gun. Jesse kicking him in the balls and wrestled his gun away.

"Dumb move mate," she said. "Get on the boat, or take a swim. Your choice."

Townsend glared at her, then hobbled down onto the boat. Derek opened the interior hatch and shoved him in, then followed in behind him.

The space they were in was a small crew compartment for long races. A toilet and a storage area was all that was here. Derek forced his arms behind him and asked, "So, who's your boss?"

Jesse walked in and held the gun on him.

"You are a traitor!" Townsend spat.

"Nope. I do the jobs John Connor tells me to. Who's your boss, or do you need some encouragement?"

Jesse snap kicked him in the balls again. Townsend folded and howled in pain.

"That's just for starters," Derek said. "Name, now."

"Fuck you, you traitor!" Townsend cried.

Derek nodded to a life vest and said, "Jesse, put the vest over his head before you shoot him. That will be real loud in here."

Jesse planted the vest on his head, pinning him in place and put the gun to the vest. "If ya wanna live mate, you better speak up."

"I'm gonna kill you!" Townsend cried.

Derek nodded, Jesse shot. Townsend's brains splattered out onto the floor.

"Now what?" Jesse asked.

"We send this boat out, Mr. Townsend here wanted to take one out for a ride. We can see if the explosives work as we planned."

They went up into the driver's pit and started the boat, then put the auto pilot in the direction it was pointing. Jesse tied a rope to the throttle. Derek untied the boat, Jesse got off and gave the rope tied to the throttle a yank, pulling the throttle full open. The boat took off with a rooster tail splashed water over them.

"Wow, look at him go," Derek noted as the boat raced away. It was quickly gone from easy view.

As they watched the boat grow smaller in the distance, one of the supervisors came running up. "Someone took a boat?"

"Yeah," Derek said. "The boss wanted to go for a ride. Who am I to tell him no?"

"By himself?"

"He was insistent," Jesse told him.

The boat was no more than a dot on the horizon now.

"He knows how to drive, doesn't he?" the man asked.

"I guess, he said he did," Derek offered.

"He's gotta be doing over a hundred fifty kilometers an hour," Jesse noted.

A small orange glow lit the horizon, followed by a plume of smoke. Derek turned to the man and said, "Shit, call the harbor, I think he had an accident."

The man ran off.

"We gotta go," Derek said.

They jogged off to set the timers in the building then went to the airport to catch the first plane ride back to the mainland. By the time the building blew, they were well on their way.

A couple hours later, Mr. and Mrs. Smith were in Manila, boarding a plane for Hawaii.

.

Coach Benson looked at the Doctor's note Delilah handed him. "Doctor Henry? It says here he's out of LA. You went all the way to LA to see a doctor?"

"No, he does have a satellite office in town. He isn't very well known yet, so I was able to get right in," Delilah explained.

Coach Benson eyed her. "And he cleared you to play Football with your arm burnt and all wrapped up like that," he said, not believing it.

"He did, he even signed it, see?" she said, pointing out where Mark signed it as Dr. Henry.

He didn't believe her. Even so, she did get a signed doctor's clearance. Even if that doctor was a quack, he was legally covered from any liability. "I don't know how you did this. Just don't get hurt on me," he said in a grumble.

"I'll do my best," Delilah promised, beaming him a smile.

.

Mark came to help baby sit Joan for the next game. This time Sarah got to relax as Mark spend his time keeping Joan occupied. There was one thing he noted right away.

"Ace me," Joan cried happily.

"You want me to chase you?" Mark asked, bending over to listen to her.

"Say back ear and ace me!" John cried.

Mark raised his arms and yelled, "Get back here!"

Joan squealed happily and ran. Mark chased her. Although he saw Joan had fun with this, he knew it irritated Sarah. Sarah hadn't been playing and Joan ran fast.

.

While the Connors played football, John Henry tracked Mr. Townsend's last travels. He'd gone to London England. The rental limo had picked him up, took him to his hotel. The he'd stayed the night then flew to New York. He stayed in the Hilton, got a ride to a high rise, then back to his room at the Hilton, then a series of plane trips back to the Philippines.

Hacking into company files, John Henry didn't see that he'd gone anywhere in England. His GPS tracked showed he stayed in his hotel room. He had in New York however. Passing his information to Mrs. Weaver and Colonel Watson, John Henry gave them every scrap of information he'd found including dates and times. All the other stops were plane changes where he'd never left the airport. At one of those stops, Townsend had met with his boss. Hopefully the one financing the AI replacement for Sky Net.

Watson took the information and began narrowing down possibilities. The place Townsend had stopped at was a financial building of several companies. It was going to take a while to narrow down the field.

.

Playing safety, Delilah got through the game without further injury to herself. The one receiver she'd tackled didn't. He'd tried to dodge away and landing on his leg, she'd dislocated it. At least it wasn't broken.

It was a good back and forth game. They lost some yardage in defense, then drove down the field on the offense. Cameron's passed to receivers always hit the mark. Many times she was throwing too hard and they bounced off the receiver, or when he managed to catch it, it knocked him down. One play Cameron ran the ball when her pocket collapsed and weaved through the defense to run all the way to the goal. 47 to 14 was a respectable game against terminators.

With their latest win, Coach Benson was thrilled. They had made it to the regional playoffs for the first time ever. At a waterfall in a park, they had a celebration with the team, families and many of their fans.

With the party there was drinking. A few boys decided they wanted to see the top of the waterfall. The hundred foot falls were impressive. They cascaded down a sheer cliff to hit the pool and raise a mist. Lights in the cliff backlit the falls at night. John, Cameron and Delilah went up to see the sight also.

Greg and a buddy of his were drunk enough to get into the water at the top of the falls.

"That's not a good idea," John called to them.

"I gotta take a pee," Greg announced and walked right up to the edge. He slipped and fell. Cameron jumped out into the stream and caught him before he went over. Pulling up on his shirt, she hauled him back and got him upright.

"Don't be stupid!" Cameron said casting him a terminator stare. The rock she stepped on broke. Cameron disappeared over the falls.

"Cameron!" John yelled. Delilah grabbed his arm to keep him from diving for her. "We need to go to the bottom," she said.

Below a girl who had a video camera was filming Greg and his slip. She caught Cameron saving him, then a rock gave way and Cameron plummeted down the falls to make a big splash at the bottom. People screamed as she fell.

A pair of young men stripped off their shoes and shirts and ran into the pool to retrieve her. People gathered around the edge. The boys swam out and dove then came back up.

"Where is she!" one cried.

The other one surfaced. "She's on the bottom over here!" he yelled.

They dove together. Shortly they came up. ""I thought you said she was here!"

"Maybe the current has her."

A head appeared close to the crowd. Cameron appeared, walking. Seeing the crowd looking past her she turned to see the boys.

"Are you looking for me?" Cameron called.

Cheers of relief went up. Cameron walked up out of the water as the boys swam back. The girl was still filming Cameron's walk up out of the pool.

"How did you survive that?" Tom asked.

John and Delilah ran over to her. "Cam, you all right?" he asked.

"Fine. At least it was me and not Greg," Cameron said, then looked at the top. "I owe him a slap upside the head."

Chuckles went up.

Joan arrived with Allison and Clair.

"Mommy one, can I do that?" Joan asked brightly.

"NO." all the adults chorused.

Greg came down the path. Seeing Cameron he asked, "Wow, you fell all that way?"

Cameron cast him a terminator state. "Excuse me," she said heavily and strode towards Greg.

Greg backed up, "Ahhh everything's OK?" he asked.

Cameron kept walking towards him.

Greg backed up farther. "Ah, no harm done… right?" he asked.

"I think your getting your ass kicked," Tom told him.

Greg turned and bolted as he yelled, "I'm sorry!" Cameron broke into a run after him. An even stride, she chased him through the parking lot.

"Look, I'm sorry!" Greg wailed as he ran. He looked back to see Cameron right behind him and ran into the park sign. Cameron caught him when he bounced back by the back of his shirt and belt. She hoisted him up over her head and headed back for the pool.

"I'm sorry OK! Put me down!" he cried.

People parted for Cameron as she made her way back to the pool. Everyone could see she wasn't in a good mood. Walking up the edge of the water, Cameron tossed Greg in the air. He screamed until splashdown.

Cameron then waded out after him. Greg flailed up sputtering. Cameron grabbed the back of his shirt and intoned, "Say you will not try to pee off the falls again."

"Yeah, I 'm…"

She dunked him under, up, under and up again.

"The washing machine treatment," someone said and laughed.

Cameron held him up. "Say you will not try to pee off the falls again," she intoned.

"I will not try to pee off the falls again!" Greg cried.

"Say you were stupid to try."

"It was stupid to try!"

Cameron dropped him and waded back out.

After Cameron was done with him many others chided him for doing that stupid stunt and almost getting Cameron hurt bad. Several students weren't happy with him. They reminded him she could have hit a rock and died on the way down.

Greg wasn't too sure about that, He'd just been woman-handled like he was five years old. He had a feeling she'd probably break the rock.

.

The next day, a lawyer from the College football commission wanted to see Cameron and Delilah with their birth certificates. The claim was that they were Transgendered men who took steroids to achieve great strength.

Sitting Coach Benson's office, John said, "That doesn't make any sense. Cam had a baby. That should pretty much prove she's female."

"I agree." Coach Benson said. "This is Sacramento. They are looking for any way to get Cameron and Delilah off the team so they won't be able to play. It's an attempt at a dirty trick. We'll use our doctors and provide the birth certificates as well as Joan's birth certificate to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt there are no steroids, and Cameron and Delilah are both female." With a huff he added, "They are also trying their best to make College football male only, unless there is a female team started. Sacramento knows they can't win unless they get these two girls off the field."

"We should go teach them a lesson," Delilah stated.

"Please, no," John said in a groan.

"Delilah, you have to behave yourselves,. They are looking for any reason to get you booted off the team," Coach Benson said firmly.

Cameron was quiet. She tilted her head and said, "Maybe we can turn that around on them."

"Don't try it," Coach Benson warned.

Cameron only smiled at him and said, "We won't do anything wrong. Promise."

"You girls make me nervous."

.

The first thing to do was target the opposition. The lawyer who was handling the case had a son on the football team. He was a linebacker, 279 pounds and worked out hard to get his big muscles. He was also nice and alpha, as well as spoiled. They had his sorority, and even his schedule. Perfect.

Delilah volunteered to make some extra money by running some certified paperwork up to the college in Sacramento. Of course, Cameron came along for the ride. Delilah wore her light clothes that had a little less that the appropriate amount of stitching, and Cameron had her video camera.

On the way, they stopped by the sorority house and scoped the place out. They also noted the 'routine' patrol of the local police. Cameron stayed near the sorority house to verify the times when the patrol car would come by.

By afternoon, they had what they needed. Delilah followed the pack of boys at a distance, listening and making sure their timing was right.

.

Barclay Avery walked down the street with his 'buds' to meet his dealer. He paid and Al suddenly stepped closer. "Clay, there's a blond chick watching us," he hissed.

"Bad news for you if she's trouble," the dealer told him.

"Hey, it won't be a problem."

The dealer took his money and said, "For your sake, I hope not. Move on."

Delilah got the exchange with her zoom lens. She also noted the dealer with the long coat and top hat was coming her way. She continued calculated were they were going to meet. There was a low wall by the sidewalk. No one was watching.

As the dealer came close, he said, "Give me the camera, now."

Delilah strode up and punched him hard. He flew over the low wall. She caught his hat that flew off his head and tossed it down beside his body. Terminated.

.

This was the part of the day Barclay liked. Grabbing some beer, they headed out back to sit on the porch, draw their lines of blow, snuff up and drink a few brews. On the glass tabletop, they made their lines. "Gotta roll a hundred," Barclay bragged and stuck the bill up his nose. Right as he touched the line a flash went off. Surprised, he looked up to see another flash. The blond dropped down from the fence.

"GET HER!"

Barclay knew it was the end if he was caught with drugs. He raced through the house and burst out the front to see the blond in the yard looking for something. Seeing him, she took off for the street.

Barclay charged. Running fast, he hit her with a football tackle. They went down, she started screaming. He tried to grab the camera, but she kept it away from him. However pieces of her clothes went flying. She rolled over, she curled up, all the time screaming for help. He punched her in the head. She tried to get up, He shoved her down and punched her again, trying to get her to shut up.

"Fuck! Clay, get off her…. This isn't good man …. Fuck!" Al yelled.

Bright lights shown on him red and blue ones too. He looked up to see outlines of two cops holding guns on him. At the same time, the blond kicked him away from her. She got up and ran, screaming.

"Face down on the ground, NOW!"

Barclay looked a the blond running away into the woods. She had pictures of him with blow! He couldn't let her get away. He moved to stand up and a tazer hit him. He wailed out and fell. His arms were wrenched behind his back. Cuffs were clicked on.

.

Jonathan Avery went down to the station to make bail for his son. He was not pleased at the charges, assault and battery, plus drugs were found in the sorority house, which got all his druggie pals arrested also. The hunt was on for the 'poor woman' who'd ran screaming all but naked from the scene that Barclay had assaulted. The dash cam got her bloodied face, a large bruise on her arm and the fact she was stripped nearly naked.

Jonathan was not happy at all. He kept his cool as he strode back to the car with his son in tow. "What the fuck were you thinking?" he snapped.

"She took pictures of me," Barclay stated. "We have to find her!"

Jonathan spun on him. "Find her? You attacked a girl and beat her in the middle of the fucking street! Do you have any idea how fucked up that is? There's going to be hell to pay! And it's going to be expensive, and it's coming out of your failed College money! If you're not kicked out by morning, I will be fucking shocked!"

"So will I." Cameron announced.

They turned to see her by the car. Delilah, in new clothes was standing beside her.

"YOU stupid bitch!" Barclay growled. He strode towards Delilah. She strode towards him punching him in the gut. He bent over, she railed him on the jaw and put him down.

"You are the stupid one," she told him.

Jonathan put two and two together real fast. This had been a setup. "OK, hold on. I know the score. How much to make you go away?"

"Easy," Cameron said. "You drop your football lawsuit against us, forget about any interactions with College Football rules, coax dumbo here off to another college, and you don't come back. If you try to keep us from playing, then everyone gets to see brainless here beat a girl in the street. I do mean everyone. She can even tell about how he tried to rape her. I think even maybe the cops will find the dealer who sold them the drugs. He's dead, and your boy was the last one to make a deal with him."

"You can make my life a living hell," Jonathan concluded angrily.

"We're good at it," Cameron stated.

"I bet you are," he growled.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Barclay whined.

"Oh good, more violent footage," Delilah said with a grin.

Jonathan was livid, but kept his head. "This isn't gonna be a forever thing," he stated. "I want that video."

"After the playoffs," Cameron stated.

"I'll give you two million for it."

"After the playoffs."

"You know, people who screw me over have a tendency to have something bad happen to them."

"We can terminate you," Cameron assured him. She glanced at Delilah. "I think that car engine runs too good."

"Me too." Delilah agreed.

Cameron stepped aside so Jonathan could see what Delilah was doing. She pointed her hand under the fender, formed a narrow plasma canon and fired. The underside of the hood lit up. The glow stayed. Smoke began drifting out from the wheel wells and the grille

"You had a malfunction, Mr. Avery," Cameron explained. "It would be a shame if your family had a malfunction … or your house at night. We don't hear anything about you, and you won't get a visit by us. That is the best deal you're going to get."

Jonathan watched the two women walk away. He had no idea how they did that, but seeing what they'd done so far, they were serious. These two played for keeps, and apparently didn't mind killing people. In his mind he was sure that if that drug dealer was dead, then as long as his son wasn't completely stupid, it wouldn't be pinned on him.

"I'll fucking get-em!" Barclay growled.

Jonathan kicked him in the ass. "You Idiot! They will kill you and take me down with you. Get up! You're embarrassing!"

.

On the way home, Cameron kept a watch out for anyone following them. Pulling over into a rest stop, they checked other cars that pulled in behind them. There weren't many cars here. One car passed through, driving slow. A red Mustang went to the other end by the exit and parked.

"No one's getting out, car's running," Delilah noted.

"The exit lane is dark," Cameron noted.

"Flip it?" Delilah asked.

"No, let's go see who's in it." Cameron said. She pulled out and drove over to stop behind the car. "Rip the plate off. Bad cop and worse cop."

"Right."

Cameron got out and went to the driver's door. Delilah ripped the plate off and looked at it.

Just before Cameron got to the car door, it flung open. A black man got out and cried "What the fuck!"

Cameron grabbed him and slammed him into the side of his car, arms twisted around on his back, She kicked his feet apart. "Homeland Security what are you doing here?" she asked in a hard tone.

Delilah held up the license plate and said, "You dropped this. That is very careless of you."

"What the fuck! This is police brutality, you're harassing me for no reason!" he yelled.

"Check and see what he's got inside," Cameron said.

"My lawyer's gonna have a field day with you!" the man snapped.

Delilah crawled in and came out with a silver plated pistol. ".44 mag. Wonder if it works."

"Why are you following us?" Cameron asked.

Delilah cocked the pistol.

"I ain't following no one!"

"Why'd you stop here?"

"I was tired!"

Cameron gave him a rib shot. She heard ribs crack. "Why were you following us?" she asked again.

"Fuck," he gritted out. "I ain't done nothin!"

Another rib shot, same place. "You can tell us, or die," Cameron stated flatly.

Cameron cocked back again. The man cried, "All right all right! Boss said someone whacked Jimmy. They found him on the college campus. Boss gave me a plate, told me to follow it."

"Let me guess, a guy named Avery gave him the tip?" Delilah asked, pointing his gun at him.

"Yeah, said he saw the whole thing."

"He didn't," Delilah stated. "Let his arms go."

Cameron released him. Delilah handed the man the camera. "I didn't get him in the act, but I got pictures of who did it. Avery is trying to cover for his son."

The man looked at the camera. "You got him on film?"

"I got him in digital memory. The one in the pictures is who you should be after. You don't want to mess with us."

The man winced from his hurting ribs. "You know what's gonna happen when the boss gets this?"

Delilah smiled. "I think we're done here." She tossed the gun back in the car.

"Don't let us see you again," Cameron told him.

Cameron and Delilah got in and took off. They went down to the bottom of the ramp then backed up behind a tree. A few minutes later, the Mustang shot out of the exit, went down the road and used a U-turn to go racing back the other way.

They continued their drive home.

"Youtube for the video?" Delilah asked.

"Artistry dot Sacremento EDU, let their College see it first. I'll scramble your face enough so you're not recognizable," Cameron told her.

.

Cameron and Delilah got home in time to clean up then crawl in bed with John. Delilah wanted some play time in the shower. While she kept John busy, Cameron did a slight retouch of the video, then logged it into the artistry section of the Sacramento College. Barclay's face was nice and clear as he ran after Delilah and tackled her.

John knew his wives enough that he had a feeling something was going on. He just didn't know what. As long as they kept it quiet, he was fine with it.

Going down for breakfast, John saw Derek and Jesse back. "Welcome home. Successful trip?" he asked.

"More or less," Derek said. "Someone ratted us out, but we blew the place and got out OK."

"We didn't get the big boss's name, but he knew who we were," Jesse said.

"John Henry is working on that with Watson," Cameron told them. "We'll find him."

"Probably a triple eight," Derek said with a snort.

"We can handle him," Delilah assured him. Casting a smirk at Mark she said, "That's what the canons are made for."

Mark chuckled and raised his coffee cup to her. "And you got a great set of canons."

Sarah eyed him.

"What? She does!" Mark said defensively.

John couldn't help but snicker at his mother's frown.

.

At lunch, a couple of the guys came by John's table. Carlos held up his phone and asked, Delilah, is this you?" He played the scene of Barclay tackling, stripping and beating a blond.

"Brutal," she said. "Carlos, do you really think I would let someone do that to me?"

"It just looks kinda like you," Carlos said.

"I got a feeling if it was you, you would have beat him bloody," Tom offered.

"I would have," Delilah stated.

"I would have cheered you on. That guy's an asshole."

"And in jail," Carlos said. "News said he got caught with drugs too. He was on the team, College kicked him to the curb. There's been protests against the players. Heard there might even be a boycott of the game over this at Sacramento."

"We're playing on the LA field," Cameron said.

"Yeah, but there's a bunch of pissed off women. They aren't gonna be quiet."

"We'll see what happens," John said. Seeing the video, he had a feeling it was Delilah on the video, and Cameron had been taking the video. They had been up to no good.

They got through the day and John saw another video, then it was taken down. It popped up again on you tube for a couple hours and was taken down again.

At practice, enough people had seen the video that they asked Delilah if she was OK. Coach Benson didn't, but he did eye her warily like he knew something was up.

They watched a couple films on Sacremento's team. Their quarterback was good, 75 percent completion on passes, and their defensive line was solid and quick. They had their plays down and were coordinated. Cameron and Tom talked about how to disrupt their coordination.

Getting home, Sarah let them know John Henry had news, they were going to have a briefing as soon as they got everyone together.

In John's office, two TV monitors were set up. Mrs. Weaver arrived with the satellite descrambling unit. They all sat facing the monitors. John Henry's face came on one, Colonel Watson's face appeared on the other one.

"Hello, everyone," John Henry said pleasantly.

Colonel Watson got right down to business. "We've been tracking a man named Leon Rains. This guy was the force behind this latest facility in the Philippines. He was also the one behind the facility in Mexico. He works for a banker in the Mid East. Tracing and monitoring calls, He is in charge of 'Operation Cleanse'. The man he reports to is a Abraham Aziz. This guy already has more money than God due to Arabian oil fields, but he wants to expand. From what we pieced together, Aziz wants to increase his wealth by blowing up all the other industrial countries. John Henry hacked far enough into his systems to show where this guy wants to plant nuclear bombs to remove major cities and banking institutions. He doesn't give a damn how many people he kills. He wants to start a nuclear war so everyone else will pitch in and continue it. Once it's over, his people come out of the bomb shelters and rebuild the world for him. He needs to be gone."

A picture of a high rise building came up. "This is Rains' offices, sixty third and sixty fourth floors on Manhattan. He gets taken out after we kill Aziz."

Another picture of a sprawling mansion came up. "Here is where Aziz lives in Saudi Arabia. Two hundred guards, six hundred staff including his personal harem, and every electronic sensing device known to man. He even has some anti-aircraft missiles. He doesn't leave his fortress, he has people come see him. Even the Sheiks pay him visits. We can scan the place from outside, and can make educated guesses where defenses are. We have not been successful on getting anyone inside his complex."

"What about the area around his place?" Derek asked. "Any signs of escape tunnels?"

"None, but he could well have the bunkers from hell underneath his fortress," Watson stated. "Needless to say, no one in the government will acknowledge any attempt to infiltrate this place if you're caught."

"Par for the course," John grumbled. "Does he have any intell on us?"

"Unknown."

"I take it he has his own power station?" Cameron asked.

"Yes. Solar panels and a diesel fuel power plant. He also pipes in water from the ocean to desalinate his own drinking water. The complex is completely self-sufficient. We'll give you the best data we have. When you get him a wet work team will get Rains. If we take Rains first, we are sure it will tip him off."

"How deep is the water off the coast?" Delilah asked.

"We'll send you a detailed oceanographic map," Watson said.

"You thinking abut going up the water pipes?" John asked Delilah.

Delilah pointed to the entrance buildings and said. "There are cameras everywhere, and an air-search radar. By air or land will not work. Metal detectors are sure to be in use. We can't walk in there. I don't see any other way in."

A desalinating plant will be all pipes and pumps," John noted.

"I can cut pipes," Delilah said. "The biggest problem is, where will he be?"

"We don't want him running away," Cameron agreed.

"We need to think hard on this. How about support?" John asked.

"Tell me what you need. Remember, We want this as low keyed as possible," Watson stated.

"I will help," Catherine Weaver said. "John Henry, are you able to hack into systems there?"

"Negative, Mrs. Weaver. The security systems are stand alone. The internet also goes through a cleansing buffer upon entering the compound," John Henry told her.

"This guy's rich and paranoid," Derek grumbled.

"For what he's trying to pull off, he needs to be. He is the sole owner of the conglomerate called Kaliba," Watson said.

"He needs to be taken down," Sarah stated.

"We'll get it done," John said firmly. John wasn't as confident as he sounded but this was Kaliba, the entity who started Sky Net with the purpose of destroying the world. They HAD to take it down. He looked at his wives. He loved them both dearly. This time he had to risk them and send them into unknown danger. He hated it, but they had no choice in the matter. This was what they were here for.

Getting printouts of the satellite images, visual and infrared, they poured over them, looking for possible ways to get in. Few routines were noted by people outside on the grounds. One long structure looked to be the guards house by the entrance. There was another near the main palace. In the back of the palace were gardens and an area that seemed to be under constant construction.

John studied pictures of time lapse photos of this area. He noticed something odd. Holes were dug and filled back in. Using a magnifying glass, he said, "Cam, come look at this."

He pointed to one of the holes and asked, "What do you see in the bottom of that hole?"

Cameron bent over the picture. "A body, female, wearing harem sheers, fifteen feet down."

"That's where he dumps his kills," John concluded.

"Yes," Cameron agreed. "Below is an outline, enough dirt is put in to cover the body, then another is dumped in."

"So he can kill anyone he wants," John concluded.

Catherine came over to look at the picture. "We have another way in," she said.

"By getting killed?" John asked.

Catherine changed herself into a pretty Arabian girl. "I go in to be part of his harem. I try to grab a gun from a guard, they shoot me and dump me. I crawl back out and wait for Delilah and Cameron to arrive through the water supply, then attack from behind."

"That will work. The open area used by helicopters is to the side, here. You can prevent his escape." Cameron agreed.

John winced. "That may work, but…"

"John, I appreciate your concern, you know bullets will not hurt me," Catherine said firmly.

"We have to do whatever we need to do to succeed," Delilah added.

"How will you and Cam avoid getting chewed up by water pumps?' John asked, casting a glare at Delilah.

"There are usually strainers to catch debris before the pumps, John," Cameron told him. "Once we are that far, we should be inside."

"I really don't like this," John said in a huff.

Cameron put an arm over John's shoulder and said, "John, the chances of any of us being disabled before reaching the target is only 23 percent."

"How about after?" John asked. "Unless you can get out of there, there's going to be an army after you, and you will have no backup at all."

"We kill the power before we leave, then swim back out through the water pipes." Cameron stated.

"John, we have to do this," Delilah added.

John shifted in place. "I know," he said heavily. "I know."


	34. Chapter 34

CH 34

Researching the Aziz compound, Cameron discovered that water was one of Aziz's businesses. Towns to the north and south of the compound got their 'clean water' from the compound through a water company owned by Aziz. The town to the south was a vacation community with many large swimming pools and decorative fountains. That was a lot of water. That meant the intake pipes had to be large. Not seeing much above ground as far as distilling plants, that also meant these plants had to be under ground. The only problem she had was finding any information on them. All the plans had to be inside, ther was nothing about that compound in any city offices, which wasn't helping finding the best way to get in.

Catherine Weaver secured transportation to Saudi Arabia. Passports and ID's, and with Colonel Watson's help, a military air lift to the gulf, as well as Dinars so they could go shopping once they arrived. She also got them traditional garb and the two 'mermaid fins' Delilah asked for. Delilah and Cameron decided they were not going to take any extra weapons or tools that might get them plugged in the pipes or break loose to warn someone they were coming.

The exact location of the water intakes was still not known, which made John extremely nervous. Knowing this, Cameron focused on the upcoming game against Sacramento when she was with John. She also noted he was very huggy with them, as if he was afraid they weren't coming back. Both she and Delilah gave him all the hugs, kisses and reassurance they could.

Game day came. They boarded the busses and met television cameras at the LA stadium. Along with the TV cameras, were fans and protestors. Fans waved signs saying 'Go Canyon'. 'Bulldozer rules!' 'Prepare for the Iron Maiden'. Protestors held up signs saying, "Kill these bums!', 'Stop supporting women abusers!', "Don't let them leave the field alive!'

Even the protestors (mostly women) still cheered when Cameron and Delilah walked by.

In the locker room, several female reporters were there to talk to Cameron and Delilah. Thankfully, they waited until Cameron and Delilah were dressed in their uniforms before mobbing on them.

A bubbly redhead with a mike met Cameron coming out of the changing room. "Mrs. Cameron Connor! It is such an honor to meet you! Can you tell me a little about yourself?"

Cameron and Delilah stopped, side by side. Cameron smiled and said, "We came to college to finish education. They have a football program, and we like playing. Delilah and I live with our husband, John and our first child, Joan. I had th first child. Delilah's turn is next."

"Wow, College and being a mother! That must put a large workload on you!" the woman gushed. To Delilah she asked, "You are comfortable with sharing your husband?"

"It' right for us, and since there is three of us, it helps with the work load," Delilah told her. "I can't imagine life without John or Cameron."

"One question I am sure everyone wants to know is, how do you do it? Neither one of you are bound with muscle, but some of the plays you do show great strength! I know some of the coaches think Cameron has a rocket launcher in her arm to throw some of those passes, and Delilah never fails to break through the line. It's like you're made of steel or something!"

"Your assessment of our composition is incorrect," Cameron told her. "We do have a denser body structure than normal humans. That is all I can really say."

"Yes, I read about that! You are both refugees from another planet?"

"We manage to survive and get here yes," Delilah said. "This is our home now and everyone we've met has been good to us. We hope to help out as much as we can for the good of humanity. We will do all we can to ensure this planet stays such a wonderful place to live."

"I would imagine the government keep track of you, do you live near some base?"

"We do not," Cameron said. "Yes we have what you would call a sponsor who helped us will some things that were strange to us. As far as living around government or military, no. We have our own house and family, and it is wonderful."

"Is John from your planet also?"

"John is human. Joan so far is exhibiting characteristics of both of us, and is growing up healthy," Cameron explained. "We did not foresee and difficulties, but were cautions to be sure Joan is growing up with no problems before Delilah has a baby."

"How does Joan address Delilah?"

"Mommy two."

"Mommy two?"

Delilah grew a grin and said, "A friend of ours called us Thing One and Thing Two. We had some fun with it, and now we're Mommy One and Mommy Two."

The reported chuckled. "That is unique."

"As are we."

"Yes, you are, there is no doubt about that. Do you have plans after college?"

"Continuing our work," Cameron said, "Perhaps some day, we can tell you about it."

"If you could give advice to other young women out there, what would you say?"

"Work hard," Cameron stated. "Do your best in everything, your jobs, your relationships, and take care of your loved ones. Don't let the easy way tempt you. Don't let anyone tell you 'you can't'. If you do your very best, you will find out for yourself what you can do."

"Don't take your friends for granted," Delilah stated. "Don't feel you are owed anything, you're not. Do your best to help others and keep your communities safe. Cameron and I have had a very hard lesson in learning what happens otherwise. We've been saved, we want everyone else to be saved also. Once paradise is gone, there is no getting it back."

"That is very good advice," the reporter agreed.

An overhead speaker announced, "Teams to the tunnels."

"We have to go, enjoy the game," Cameron said.

"Have a good day," Delilah told her.

The reporter beamed at the camera, "That was Cameron and Delilah Connor, the Iron Maiden and the Bulldozer! Now, back to the sportscasters. Pete and Joe!"

.

It was obvious from the kickoff that the heart had been taken out of the Sacramento team. They played, but there was no drive to them at all. After Delilah got an interception to run it for a touchdown, then Cameron collapsed the line to make a 60 yard pass into the end zone for another right on top of that, It was clear to Coach Benson they had this game in the bag.

At 28 to zero, Benson took Cameron off the field and put Tom in as quarterback. He knew pro scouts were watching this game closely and Tom had to show his stuff if he hoped to get picked up by a team.

Cameron was sitting and watching the game when a man from behind her said, "Excuse me, Cameron Connor?"

She turned to see the man smiling at her. "I'm from the Nashville Knights, an LFL team. We've been watching you and my quarterback played a charity game with you a while back. We'd like to sign you and your sister, Delilah, for the upcoming season. Can we discuss you very substantial salary after the game?"

Cameron offered him a quick smile and said, "I'm sorry, we have another job. Thank you for the offer."

"We'll top any other offer you get. Think about it." he said

By the end of the game, she and Delilah had gotten generous offers from LFL and NFL scouts in the millions of dollars. If they were greedy, they could be rich. They had more important things to do.

Sacramento did try a 4th quarter come back but it was too little, too late. Canyon got the win by 34 points, and scouts were there during the after game celebration to pick up seniors for recruitment.

On the bus ride home, John knew the time was coming for Cameron and Delilah to leave. It was all he could do to tell them not to go.

.

One thing Mark liked was the mermaid fins Cameron and Delilah got to practice swimming. The 'tails' were actually hundred pound body suits that went up just under their breasts shaped like a mermaid. The colorful body suits speckled with greens and blues tapered down to whale like fins three feet wide. The extra propulsion allowed them to swim and not sink to the bottom of the pool. A flat pouch on their stomach allowed them to carry other clothes.

Joan was especially wide-eyed in awe as her mothers swam gracefully around the pool, getting used to how to use the fins. They were fast, and made jumps in the air that Joan laughed and clapped at. An underwater watch that had a compass and a foot long knife, and they were ready to go test their fins in the ocean.

The one problem with the fins was that with their legs held together, they couldn't walk. John and Mark took them down to a beach where surfers were riding the waves. Right after they got out of the jeep and carried the fins down to the shore, they began to draw a crowd. John could understand why. Two hot girls in bikinis looked like they were carrying large fish. At the shore, they got the fins laid out and wiggled in. John made sure they were zipped up, then Cameron and Delilah hand walked, dragging their legs, into the surf.

The pair struggled a bit to get into the waves, then with splashes of their tails, they were gone. John also noted a few phones were trained on them.

.

Under water, Cameron found a whole different world. Above a wave and a surf board would go by. Around them fish swam and schools darted one way or another, avoiding bigger fish.

The compass/watch worked well. It showed direction and depth as well as the time. The tails were slightly more boyant than their bodies. Using their hands flattened helped some, but they would need paddling gloves to keep from tipping down. Once they got some speed through the water, it wasn't a problem. Going slow though, they had to angle up to stay at a certain depth.

Delilah tapped Cameron on the shoulder and pointed up. The bottom of a boat was coming. By the shape, it was a power boat motoring along. Delilah shot a hand up and hooked it over and pointed at the boat. Cameron nodded. They dove down them came up, kicking fast to gain speed.

.

Josh, Frank and Ted were scanning the beach with binoculars for female bodies.

The young one, Ted was manning the motor as his older brother and his friend looked for hotties. "Man, there's not even any decent looking chicks out!"

"No shit, I thought we'd at lest see some lookers."

"Where's all the great looking topless chicks?" Josh whined.

"Youtube," Ted grumbled. He was bored. Instead of seeing something cool he was only looking at two dummies searching for boobies that weren't there. Looking over the side, he saw shapes below. At first they looked like fish. "Hey, guys.." he called. The shapes got closer and bigger. He saw arms and heads of hair. "Guys!"

"We're not going back in yet!" Josh stated.

Ted sat in awe as the first mermaid erupted from the water. A busty blond flew over the boat and dove back in, splashing his brother and his friend. No more has she hit the water then another perfectly shaped mermaid with auburn hair flew over them to splash down on the other side, again soaking them.

Ted watched them level out below and swim away.

"What the hell was that!" Frank cried.

"What happened?" Josh added, looking around.

Ted sat smiling. He'd watched both perfect forms fly over the boat. Perfect bodies glistening in the sunlight, it was a sight he would never forget. Damn, that was lovely.

"Did fish jump us!" Frank asked.

"Mermaids," Ted said reverently. "Two of the most perfect things I've ever seen."

"What!" the boys cried.

Ted chuckled, and said, "And you guys missed them."

.

Cameron noted that the range lock on her knees was not letting her get the most propulsion out of her fin. She adjusted the lock to allow her knees to swing twenty degrees forward past the normal human limit. Coming close to Delilah, she got Delilah's attention and showed her what she did. Delilah nodded.

Judging by the water flow over her body, allowing the extra movement let them pick up some substantial speed. Seeing the bottom coming up, they were headed for the shore. Ahead of them was a surf board just rising up on a wave.

Cameron and Delilah burst out of the water on either side of the surf board and splashed down onto the foam to quickly hand walk up onto the beach. Mark was laughing. John shook his head, chuckling. The surfer behind them had wiped out.

.

The mermaid fins had passed their tests. Simple rubber gloves with webbing were enough to counter their body weight. Cameron and Delilah found they could also swim normally with their gloves fingers played, without the mermaid fins.

Catherine Weaver arrived to let them know their plane was leaving tomorrow night. They were going to catch a cargo plane to Florida, then continue on to Saudi Arabia. They were not listed anywhere on the flight schedule. Once off the Saudi coast near the compound, the back of the cargo plane would open, they would jump out with six foot round disposable chutes and splash down to swim their way to the point where the water intakes were believed to be. Catherine would continue on and land at the air base, then make her way to the compound. After they completed their mission, they were to trek to the Suez canal where a US Destroyer was to pick them up. They didn't tell John about the pickup, they were afraid he'd forbid them to go, having to go all that way across dry, hot desert.

The last 24 hours they had at home, they spend with John and Joan. Cameron and Delilah made sure they each got some private time with John, and used that to assure him that nothing would keep them from coming home. John drove them to the air base. And gave each a long hug goodbye.

"You better come back, you just better," John said as he held his wives, choking back on his emotions.

"Nothing will keep us away," Cameron assured him.

"Yes, you're stuck with us," Delilah stated.

John hung around until the plane took off. He watched the plane until it was out of sight. He went home trying to shake the feeling he'd never see them again.

.

Riding in the back of a cargo plane was boring. Cameron and Delilah went into standby for the trip. Sitting side by side in seats in a 'passenger area', They didn't move the entire flight. Not officially being on board, Catherine Weaver sat in the compartment with them.

The plane got to Florida, refueled and loaded on a new flight crew. This crew had the secret orders to drop a 'package' in the water at specific coordinates. After the long trip, the Captain noted they were coming up on the drop point. He reported to the passenger compartment, where no one was, "Approaching drop point, get into position."

The co-pilot looked at him. "There's no one up there."

A reply came back, "Understood, preparing to exit."

"There was no one up there," The co-pilot said again.

"Black ops. We don't see, we don't hear," The Captain stated. "Descending to four thousand feet."

The crew chief was just as surprised to see a pair of women with long canvas bags come down out of the passenger compartment. He eyed their long legs and bare feet. All they wore were bikinis, like they were going to the beach. Both were hot young women. "Ahhh, who are you?" he asked.

Cameron said, "You are going to drop us off." She and Delilah then walked to the back and opened the bags.

Slim and sexy, he couldn't help but stay glued onto them as they pulled out mermaid tails, they opened the bags to show they were small parachutes with nothing but grab handle to hold onto. They wiggled into their tails and zipped up. Damn they were hot! What it looked like they were about to do was also suicide.

"You can't jump out of plane like that!" he cried.

"We can," Cameron said. They moved to lean back against the rear door, holding drag chutes in their hands.

"One minute to drop," came the Captain's voice. The red light came on. The bay door opened. Both woman looked to be all but falling out.

"Thirty seconds."

Good god, were these girls insane?

"Fifteen seconds."

"Captain? We're really going to drop these girls in the ocean with nothing?"

"Ten seconds, we don't see or hear,…. drop."

The green light came on. Cameron and Delilah threw their drag chutes out the back and gripped the handles. They were then pulled out the back, their chutes fully opened as the dropped away.

"Drop, clear," the crew chief said vacantly.

The bay door shut.

That was the strangest thing he'd ever seen.

.

The chutes Cameron and Delilah had were not large ones to slowly drift them down. Only enough to reduce their velocity to just under a hundred miles an hour. Pulling their legs up to bend in half, they plummeted down into the ocean butt-first. The body suits held. Upon hitting the water, they let the parachutes go. Delilah's bra was ripped off from the impact. Cameron's back strap was broken. She shrugged the rest of it off as she got her bearings. They were 120 feet down. Delilah was only sixty feet away. They swam close then headed off in the direction the intakes should be.

The water surface above them was silver, even though the water around them was black. By this time it was another hour until sunrise. They swam along at 110 feet down to ensure no ships ran them over.

In the water senses changed. Their hearing was very good, but their sight was not. They heard sea creatures and someplace behind them, a boat was far off. Visual sight was very short and infrared was useless. Making their eyes glow blue, they were able to penetrate a few yards farther, but they didn't know if anyone above could see them.

After an hour of swimming, they saw a fishing boat they had been listening to. It was light enough now to make out the boat's shadow. Steering clear of it, Cameron calculated they should be getting to where the intakes were. She and Delilah dove deeper. The bottom in the correct place was suppose to be 540 feet down. The bottom here was deeper. At 550 feet, Cameron made a squeak for an echo range. When it came back, she calculated the bottom was another 200 feet below them.

Moving along in even, undulating motions, It became light enough to see shapes and shadows at a distance. The bottom was coming up. They passed over a ledge that brought them up to 400 feet. Delilah took off a glove and held her hand up. Cameron did the same, touching palms with her. With vibrations, they communicated.

"This is too shallow." Delilah said.

" Yes, but the location is correct," Cameron replied.

"We should look below this ledge."

"Yes, maybe it comes out of the cliff wall."

They swam back over the ledge and studied the drop. They found fish, corals and octopi, but there was no sign of a pipe of any size. The only noises were the clicks, and calls of sea creatures, Cameron didn't pick up any mechanical sounds.

They swam up and down the cliff and a few miles to each side. Nothing.

They went back up over the ridge and went farther towards the shore. Delilah tapped Cameron's arm and cupped her ear, then pointed. Cameron listen. It was low, but it was a mechanical hum. They headed for the sound. It was about in the right direction.

The water became shallower. Swimming along just above the bottom now, they were at 200 feet. It was getting dark again. Ahead, they saw lights in the water. Delilah looked at Cameron, she shrugged. They went to investigate.

It looked like an underwater hotel. The rooms were bubbles connected by round passages of almost all glass. One room near the bottom had a domed glass ceiling. Moving closer near the bottom , they lifted up and peeked in.

Inside was a children's play room, toys and table with games were scattered around the room. Lifting up a little higher, they saw under them was a kitchen area. They then noticed a boy at a table was staring at them. He slapped at the girl across from him and pointed. She turned and looked. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. Cameron tapped Delilah and pointed down. They swam over the top and dove back down. Maybe there were pipes under this hotel.

There were cable and pipes that ran from the shore and up into the hotel, but nothing open ended. Finding nothing they left the area, passing over a glass tunnel. Cameron heard shouts and looked down to see someone pointing at them. They decided to swim faster and get away from the hotel. Too many people were seeing them. They also noticed a shark swim by. He was bigger than either of them, and they didn't want to fight off wildlife. They swam fast until they lost sight of the lights.

Stopping on a flat plain, they decided to do a grid search pattern. By calculations, they were still off the coast of the compound, and concluded no one knew where these pipes were. Fifty feet apart, they began their search, looking and listening. It was around noon, the water brightly lit, when the came across pair of pipes on the bottom. They followed the pipes out to sea to find they ended in a large half round cage.

There was a quiet hum coming from within. On the cage, they noted hinges and a handle. Cameron opened the two foot square hatch. Moving into the cage, she could feel the gentle pull. The pipe directed to the outside of the cage was expelling water. Cameron held her hand up. Delilah touched palms with her.

"This must be it," Cameron said.

"Let the water take us in. We'll need to use light." Delilah said, and cast her blue eyes down the pipe. She floated in. Cameron followed, shining her blue eyes.

.

Medium brown skin tone, Dark curly hair and a body to die for. Catherine Weaver covered up her attributes as required by Arabic custom. The only thing showing was her large dark eyes. The 'talent scout' had to look her over and was very pleased with her. He told her the rate she would get for having the honor to become part of the most influential man's harem. She smiled pleasantly at the 'perks' she'd be getting and cared nothing about. Once she ws 'recruited', and had to strip to prove she had no weapons, she was allowed to get dressed and was taken by a tour bus with several other girls to the gates of the outer compound.

In an assembly-line style, they were put in harem sheers and had their pictures taken, as well s their ID's and informed they were now harem girls. Speak only when spoken to, and obey all the laws.

By the sternness of the men, Islamic law was final and there would be no argument . By their manner, the men were looking for an excuse to make an example out of one of them.

Catherine saw her chance here. "Excuse, me but you are wrong," she said sternly.

The man that was glaring at them snapped his head to her. "What did you say?" he barked.

"You have it all wrong, Muhammad is fake, he's just a story. You only made that up so you can control us women," Catherine said to the complete shock of everyone else in the room.

"You are a slave!" the man spit at her." Perhaps I should teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" he raged in her face.

Catherine kneed him in the groin and pushed him back. "Tell your lies to someone else," she stated.

Wild eyed in anger, he pulled a pistol and shot her four times in the chest. She dutifully jerked back and fell limp.

"Get that heathen carcass out and throw it in the pit!" The man snapped. "Any of you other slaves care to join her?" he asked loudly.

Catherine stayed limp as she was trucked to a point where men grabbed her legs and tossed her in a hole. Once they were gone, she looked up to find she was alone. Not far away were bushes. Forming herself into a snake, she slithered out and over close to a helicopter pad, then reformed into a bush.

She waited for the other terminators to arrive.

.

"John, we have news," Sarah said, poking her head into the play room where he was making words using letter blocks with Joan.

"We do?"

"Yes, at a fancy underwater hotel in Saudi Arabia, people are swearing they saw two light skinned, light haired mermaids swim by outside the hotel. This was 200 feet under water. The news said several people saw them. it was in the area Cameron and Delilah were dropped off."

"Can we see mommies?" Joan asked excitedly.

"Any pictures?" John asked.

"No just reports. The only one who had a camera used a flash, so all they saw was the reflection of the flash. They were there and gone before anyone else could try to get a picture." Sarah explained.

"I want to see mommies," Joan said in a pout.

"Sweetie, let's finish this word, then we'll go look, OK?"

"K Daddy."

John was eager to know his wives were still ok. He was also glad no one got pictures of them. They had not gotten inside yet, that meant they would likely be prowling the depths for a while. Hopefully, they didn't get lost down there.

.

Two pairs of blue eyes drifted up the three foot diameter pipe with the flow. They followed a curve up, and flowed along, the humming of a motor was getting louder. Another curve down, then flat and they came to a screen. Delilah put her hand up to stop them. The water flow wasn't fast by it was a relentless push. Delilah's hands sunk into the screen. Cameron piled into her. The screen was buckling. Delilah did the only think she could to keep from getting sucked into the pump. Forming both arms into plasma canons, she fired.

The super heated plasma boiled the water, blowing them back, and pieces of the screen with them. It also blew the pipe apart. First Cameron and Delilah were hit with the slug of water pushing hem back, then the entire ocean pushed them forward.

The elbow just before the pump blew out. A solid three foot diameter column of water drove into the pump room, catapulting Delilah and Cameron out of the pipe and into a wall. They hit and were washed into another pump they pushed into another wall.

Bouncing around, Cameron managed to grab a smaller pipe and get her head above water. They room they were in was filling rapidly. She could feel part of her tail was ripped away and she'd lost a glove. On a catwalk that was just above the water, a hand grabbed the railing and Delilah pulled herself up.

"Cameron!" Delilah called.

"Here, we got to get out."

Delilah pulled herself up onto the catwalk and ripped the remains of her tail away, then ran over to pulled Cameron up onto the catwalk. They ran to the end as water reached their waists and climbed up a ladder at the end.

Delilah had only her gloves and bikini bottoms on as they climbed. Cameron still had her stomach pouch with clothes. They got up to the next level where alarms were going off.

Just ahead was a door. It opened as Delilah ran at it. A man came out and stopped short upon seeing her. Delilah punched him hard and knocked him out of the way. Another man was standing by a panel showing pipes and pump status. He turned, she grabbed his head and twisted, breaking his neck.

Cameron ran to the far door. She opened the door enough to look out. It was a hallway, clear of any traffic. It was also concrete.

Delilah silenced the alarm. She looked at the bodies and said, "We got clothes."

Brown cargo pants that were a bit big, boat sized sneakers that stuffed with socks were passable, a brown shirt and a light half jacket was what Delilah got. Cameron got a lighter brown shirt she had to tie together in front for it to at least semi-fit, and pants that she had to rip off so they weren't ridiculously long. She dismissed the boots, way too big.

Close enough. They took the bodies out and threw them down the ladder.

Checking the hallway, they made sure it was clear then ran down to the end. A steel door and they went up stairs, listening closely. They heard talking in Arabic.

"I showed that bitch what happens if they disobey!"

"Yeah, gotta say she did look good. Got a quick one before we threw her in the pit. Sent her off with something special."

The men laughed.

Cameron sneaked up the stairs, a door above closed. She and Delilah followed. Cameron looked in the window of the door. She whispered, "Six men, three women, no visible guns or phones. Windows on the far wall."

"Ready?"

Cameron nodded and threw the door open.

They didn't discriminate. Cameron drove fist into the first man, then a second one. Delilah grabbed a girl close by and threw her into a man sitting down, then kicked another up under her chin, breaking her neck. The next man Cameron charged pulled out a pistol as he glared at her. She ignored the gun and took a shot to the chest to drive her palm into his nose, breaking his nose and neck, and driving bits of bone into his brain. As he fell she grabbed his gun and shot a fourth man. The last man standing, Delilah kicked in the back of his head, killing him. One man had a girl bent over doggie style he stared at them. Cameron shot him, then the girl on her hands and knees that gapped at her.

Searching bodies for weapons, they found two more pistols and a big knife. One man was still alive, Delilah finished him with a neck snap.

Out the window, they could see the compound outside.

"One hundred twenty yards to the mansion doors. Two guards visible. We're on the second floor." Cameron stated.

"More coming up the stairs," Delilah said. She tossed Cameron another pistol and morphed out her canons.

"Fast?" Delilah asked.

"Faster the better," Cameron agreed.

They flung the door open and ran out. Two unlucky men were rounding the switchback platform below. Cameron shot them and jumped down. Squatting, she shot a couple more men who showed themselves. Delilah blew a hole through the wall with a dual plasma shot.

Another man appeared with an AK47. Cameron shot him,. Running down to the doorway he'd come out of she saw six more. She shot them, emptying one pistol. Dropped the pistols and scooped up the AK. Racing back up to the platform, she followed Delilah out the hole.

Another alarm rang out as they raced straight for the Mansion. Delilah fired a few shots blew up pillar, wiping out a guards and putting a couple holes in the walls. To the right men spilled out of a building. Cameron opened up on them with the AK, mowing them down. Delilah spied a few pouring out on the left. A plasma shot took away heads and shoulders of four men and blew a hole through the chest of a fifth.

Ahead, men poured out of the mansion and laid down a heavy rain of fire. Cameron shot her AK empty. Delilah blew more holes in the walls, a chunk of ceiling collapsed. Seeing some men to the left beside a building, Cameron ran for them. Delilah knew Cameron needed more weapons. She blew the men up, trying to miss their guns.

Bullets came from behind. The men beside the closest building were moaning on the ground or running away. Cameron raced over and grabbed a gun. Delilah turned to blast the men shooting at them from behind. Cameron killed the ones fleeing from them helped clear out they ones dumb enough to try to come at them from behind.

A grenade exploded nearby, tearing some skin off of them.

"Left side," Dalilah said.

They charged around the left side of the building. Cameron mowed down the men in the back of a truck, Delilah blew the truck up. She then shot another dual hole in the mansion. They ran in, exchanging shot with wide eyed men at close range. They survived, the men didn't, but gave Cameron more ammunition. Clearing the hallway, they moved deeper into the building. Coming to a center hallway Delilah saw the steel doors shut. Heavy rifle fire erupted from a slit in the doors. Plasma shots blew large holes in the doors. Cameron raced up and kicked the doors open. Delilah automatically fired another plasma round down the hallway to obliterate two men and the machine gun they were setting up.

The hallway was a 'T' intersection. No way straight ahead.

By now both Cameron and Delilah were showing metal. Cameron looked at the machine gun. Melted. Damn. She scavenged the ammunition she could.

"There is no resistance to either side," Delilah noted.

"That means it's the wrong way," Cameron concluded.

Delilah shot the wall. The thick concrete was gave way under the plasma pounding. Cameron poured a clip though the hole. She reloaded as Delilah jumped through. She followed.

A woman ran towards them with a wide belt around her middle. Cameron shot her. She blew up. The slamming of doors came from the left. They ran that way. Excited voices were shouting. Cameron aimed around the corner and shot another man that had a wide belt. He blew up good, filling the air with smoke and blood mist.

Hearing the shooting, Catherine got ready and reformed into her silver base-self. A man ran for the helicopter. She skewered him. Another man cried out and pointed at her. Behind him was a pack of men, and old man in between them. He ran at them. They fired their guns, making pock marks in her exterior that sealed up. She shot another spike out through a man in front and extended it behind him. Then drove another spike through the head of another gunman. The last two tried to run. She let the younger man go and skewered the old man. The back door burst back open, and Cameron showing lots of metal, gunned the last man down.

"Delilah, destroy the helicopter!" Catherine called.

Delilah pointed a plasma canon and shot. She hit it mid body. The helicopter exploded in flames.

"How do we get away?" Cameron asked.

"We don't leave as long as there are people alive," Catherine stated.

.

Going back through the ruined mansion. Cameron picked up another AK and got a couple more spare clips. Searching through the mansion. They found a few rooms where people were hiding. Some men had gotten an armored car and were approaching the mansion. A plasma blast took care of the armored car. Cameron gunned down the burning, screaming men who tried to escape.

A helicopter gunship appeared over the compound, Delilah got that too. The sound of more helicopters were coming.

"The pump room!" Delilah called. They ran for it. Another armored car, this one looking like an army vehicle, broke into the gates. Delilah shot it. They ran back into the building they came out of.

"We don't have our tails, we can't swim" Cameron told her.

"We'll have to crawl until we get back out to the ocean," Delilah told her.

"I can swim you, show me the way out," Catherine told them.

Going down to the control room, they went back to the ladder to find it was mostly under water. It was also dark. Being bounced around upon exit, Cameron wasn't sure which way was the way out.

Using their blue eyes, they found the floor where the pumps were, and the blown out pipe. Much clumsier than their previous swimming, Cameron and Delilah crawled up the ruined pipe and in.

It was a long crawl back to the ocean.

Upon reaching the grating, Cameron opened the hatch and they got out. Catherine morphed into a large silver ray with two long tentacles. She wrapped the tentacles around Cameron and Delilah and pulled them along, changing her color to match the water.

It was late at night when the three terminators walked up onto the beach. Now, they just had to cross the Arabian peninsula and get to the Suez canal.


	35. Chapter 35

Ch 35

Looking up at the star lit sky as they walked onto the beach, Catherine said, "We head west across the desert then we follow the water up to the Suez. A ship will meet us there."

They took off running. They ran through a town, causing dogs to bark, then crossed a wide highway. After a couple miles, houses and buildings were left behind. Here was no road, only flat desert. They ran across the plains of sand and rocky ground.

The sky was lightening into pre dawn when they came to a tall fence around an oilfield.

"Helicopter," Delilah said, pointing.

Cameron grabbed handfuls of the chain link fence and ripped it apart. They ran the half mile to where the helicopter pad was. In the small building nearby, they didn't find anyone. Delilah shot the electrical breaker box, killing the power. Catherine got into the pilot's seat, Cameron and Delilah piled in.

Cameron watched, but no one even came out as they lifted up and away.

Catherine flew low, only a couple hundred feet off the ground. Mid morning, they crossed over another road and out into more desert. Seeing a ridge line, Catherine looked off to the left and flew below it. "Plane off to our left." she said. Delilah opened the side door and kept watch.

Noon brought them over another oil field. A small plane followed them away. "Do we shoot it?" Delilah asked.

"Not yet," Catherine said. Seeing a volcanic plug of a mountain ahead she flew around the side. Half way around she stopped to hover and turned. "If they are insist on following us, take them down." Catherine told her. She then lifted.

The plane came into view, banking around the giant rock. Delilah aimed and shot. The plasma bolt hit just behind the engine, blowing the plane apart. Catherine flew on and dropped low, pushing the helicopter for all the speed she could get out of it.

"We will most likely have company soon," Catherine stated. "We're almost out of fuel anyway. I'll put it on auto pilot. See that butte up ahead? When we pass over it, jump."

Cameron saw the landscape as a tabletop mesa. Catherine flew only thirty feet off the ground over the Mesa. They jumped and hit the ground to bounce and roll to a stop. The helicopter flew on. They ran and jumped down one of the steep sides of the land formation.

Another helicopter, this one a gunship, closed on the one they had. After a minute, it shot a missile and blew theirs up. It flew away after the remains crashed.

"This way," Catherine said. They ran again until they found a rock ledge. Getting under it, they waited for nightfall.

Cameron looked at the bottom of Delilah's foot that was showing metal. "You're wearing your feet out."

Delilah inspected the damage, then said, "So are you."

Cameron looked at the bottom of her foot. There was metal showing on the ball of her foot. "I'm low on nutrients," she noted. The hot dry land was affecting her sheath worse than she had anticipated.

Catherine looked at the two of them. They both had rips and metal showing from bullet hits and pieces of flesh hanging. Their clothes were holed and had blood splotches on them. "Neither of you are passable for human. We will need to repair you and get you new clothes before we can approach that ship. There should be a town to the west another two hundred thirty miles away."

Cameron took off her belly pouch. The clothes here too had holes and spot of blood on them. She gave her shorts to Delilah. "Here, wrap your feet. It will help your skin last longer." The too big shirt she had on, Cameron took off and put the shirt from the pouch on. It was just bad, with holes and blood splotches, but at least it fit. No bra, so she had pokies. She ripped the other shirt up and made soft sandals while they waited for the sun to go down.

.

Captain Cutter parked his destroyer by a little town just off the waiting area for the canal. He had his orders. Pick up three women who should be along in a week, and get them back to the US ASAP. He had their pictures and names. His XO and the Weapons Officer also had the information. Getting the liberty boats down, he has a dock set up with a Shore Patrol station so the men could take liberty. No one was to go too far away, for they might have to leave at any time.

People in the town were happy they were getting a visit from a US ship. Bars and clubs were opened, and the locals happily took sailors money for food drink and other forms of fun. Cutter just hoped the stay wouldn't be long enough for his men to get themselves in trouble.

.

All night, the three terminators ran across the desert. By sun up, they were looking out at a town in the distance. Checking out the houses closest to them, they found a couple that were closer. Farming places that had fields and crops. The houses weren't fancy ones.

"Over there, they are growing figs," Cameron said. "Nutrients and cover."

"And transport," Catherine added.

Sneaking over to the fields of fig trees, Cameron and Delilah browsed. The figs weren't ripe. That didn't matter. The nutrients broke down all the same. Noting where the farmer and two kids were working, they moved far around them towards the house.

Munching on a fig, Cameron walked around a thick bush to find a young man working on a four wheeler. She stopped and watched him. The kid cursed the vehicle kicked it. He then noticed her.

Eyes wide, he saw the light skinned woman, who would look very pretty except for all the blood on her. He also noticed the skin by one shoulder was hanging off her arm. Not just skin, there was meat handing loose also. Her hair was tangled and one side of her forehead had a streak. Looking at it, he saw what looked like metal under the missing flesh. Was she a zombie like in the movies? No, she wasn't attacking him. And she did have a nice shape, but she looked hurt bad. Maybe she was making a Zombie movie? That made more sense. Cleaned up she would look really good. He would love to help her take a bath. She popped the last fig she had in her mouth and crunched it down as she stared back at him.

"You hungry?" he asked, not knowing what else to do.

The woman looked at the 4 wheeler. "Does it work?" she asked.

"It won't run. I don't know why," the boy said.

.

Cameron went around the vehicle, studying it. She squatted down, then turned the key. It turned over but didn't start.

"What are you doing?" Delilah asked as she came up.

The boy's eyes grew wide. Another one that looked shot up, and wow, were her melons big! She had major chest puppies. He also noticed a streak of metal across the top of her chest. Yes, they had to be making a movie.

"Filter's plugged." Cameron said. She dissembled the air filter and banged sand and dirt out of it. Reassembling it she said, "You must keep this clean."

"OK," the boy agreed, not knowing what to make of the pair.

"Does your father have a car?" Delilah asked.

"We got a truck. Papa says cars are only for rich people." the boy replied

"Anyone you know have a car?" Cameron asked as she got on the four wheeler.

The boy pointed and said, "Neighbors have one, right down the road."

"They home?"

"They're retired, they only grow food for themselves."

Cameron started the four wheeler. "Get on, behind me," she said.

The boy gulped. He was going to be that close to a real woman?

Delilah picked him up under his arms from behind and put him on, then got on behind him, which pressed those large melons tight up against him. He swallowed and turned red.

Cameron too off back down the field and drove parallel to the road. The boy was sweating from being sandwiched in between all this female flesh. They were real women, and he was touching them! A bounce made him grab on and hug the one in front. He blushed again, he had his hands on her melons. Damn they were nice!

It was a young teenagers dream!

They drove up to the driveway and his dream ride was over. Both women got off. "You should go home now," the busty blond told him.

"Ok," he said vacantly, wondering how she ever got such big boobs with that tiny of a waist. And why did she have metal under her chest? Was that like one of those metal plate things people sometimes got in their heads? "Thank you," he managed to say.

Both women walked up to the car. One went inside the house, the other opened the door and got in. He watched the other one come out and get in the car. A third woman came from nowhere and got in the back, they drove down the driveway.

"Wow," he whispered. He was going to remember that ride for the rest of his life!

.

Driving into town Cameron parked behind a store. Catherine went in to buy clothes and shoes for Cameron and Delilah, as well as head wraps.

The head wraps were full, showing only eyes. This helped them look more like locals as well as hide damage. They changed in the car, then drove to a car dealer. Catherine bought a four wheel drive Mercedes SUV. When asked about the car, Delilah paid the dealer to take it back to the house it came from. She was being considerate of the old folks back sleeping in their chairs.

With a car and clothes, they drove west to the coast. Some routine stops for gas and nutrients to rebuild their flesh, otherwise they kept going all night and into the next day. They got a ferry ride across an inlet. Later in the day, they drove along the coast. A ship was out in the water.

"That's the one," Catherine said looking at the hull number.

Cameron pulled down by the dock, they got out and left the keys in the car. A couple sailors were coming up the dock.

"Nice wheels," one said.

"Feel free to take it for a ride," Catherine told them.

Their eyes lit up. "No shit, really?"

"Yes, just bring it back so someone else can use it too," she told them.

Walking down the dock, all three took their head wraps off. Shore patrol stopped them near the end.

"Excuse me ladies, you can't go any farther," he said in a pleasant tone.

"Contact your captain. I am Catherine Weaver, this is Delilah Connor and Cameron Connor. He is expecting us."

"Hold on, Ma'am," he said and went into the guard shack. He came back out a moment later and said, "Mrs. Weaver, Captain Cutter said please wait here. A boat is coming for you."

They didn't have to wait long. Three men, an Officer and two marines got into a boat at the ship and motored over to the dock.

At the dock, the officer got out and looked at pictures then saluted and said, "Mrs. Weaver, Cameron and Delilah Connor, I'm Lieutenant Commander McMillan, Captain Cutter is very glad to see you. On board, we have marines to escort you and to ensure your privacy. Please, come with me."

They got down into the boat and were motored over to the ship. One marine got off the boat and climbed up on the stairway hanging off the ship. He held his hand out to help each of them up, then followed them. The first one up, Cameron, stopped at the top to see a sailor staring at her.

"Holy shit…. You're Cameron Connor, the Iron Maiden!" he cried.

"Yes," Cameron replied.

He then reached out and pumped her hand. "Wow, I got to meet you…" he then saw Delilah. "The Bulldozer!" he cried happily. "What in the hell are you two doing here?"

This got the attention of other sailors.

Upon seeing the XO, he and another sailor snapped to attention. He saluted and asked, "Sir, we have celebrities on board?"

The XO returned his salute and said, "And we can tell no one. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir, but.."

"No buts. No one can know."

"Yes, sir."

"This way, ladies," he said. They followed him, the marines followed them.

By the time they got up to the Captain's cabin, word was already spreading like wildfire aboard the ship.

One of the things that was popular was any word of Thing One and Thing Two. Any vidoes, their football games. Even solid rumor was taken as drops of ambrosia to those who followed Cameron and Delilah.

Going into the Captain's cabin, which wasn't very big, Captain Cutter greeted the women with his XO.

"Welcome aboard, ladies." Cutter said. "We pull up anchor in the morning. We're heading straight back to the US, though the Suez, down the med across the Atlantic and pulling into King's Bay in Georgia. I'll alert Command on our prospective arrival date, and your plane will be waiting to take you back to the west coast. Your cabins will be right down the hall here. It won't be an exciting trip, but we'll get you there."

"Captain, it appears The Connors here have a few fans on board," the XO said.

"Fans?"

"We play college football," Cameron explained. "I understand we're popular with some of the crew."

"Captain, I am sure it would be a morale booster if Cameron and Delilah were to meet with your crew." Catherine offered.

"I was told this mission was top secret. I agree that would be a big boost to morale, but we can afford any leaks." Cutter said.

"We will take care of that." Delilah assured him. "Once the crew knows they cannot say anything I am sure they will understand."

Cutter nodded slowly and said, "Once we're underway. You will all have to stay below decks through the Suez, we can't risk having you seen."

"Yes, Captain," they chorused.

"Captain, none of our clothing survived the trip. Is it possible we can get something besides they god-awful robes?" Delilah asked.

"We have dungarees available," he said.

"Yes, please. I don't want people to think we're bowing to Allah or anything like that," Cameron added.

That made them laugh.

.

When the laundry mate had heard that the Iron Maiden was on board, she though some guys were messing with her. They did like to do that. It was standard practice to pick on someone if you found out something they either really liked or disliked. Last port call some crew tried to convince her they saw Cameron on a topless beach, and wanted her to go see her.

Right, she knew if she went there, someone would show up with a camera and topless picks of Third class PO Nancy Brown would be tucked in little places all over the ship!

Being from Pasedena, Cameron Connor was her hero. She had posters of Cameron, she even had a number 13 jersey she'd made. She saw every game, and even a video way back when Cameron and her sister did that karaoke show. She'd still sing along with it. The athletics they did, the TV interviews. She got every scrap of information on Cameron she could find.

She knew Cameron was 'from another place'. It killed she that she didn't know where, but she did listen to what Cameron 'could tell' about herself and her sister Delilah. They were survivors of nuclear devastation, and even though they had most likely gone through hell, they had come out and lived life anew and were trying to warn everyone of the dangers they had faced.

It was a fucking shame she didn't think any of the world leaders took them seriously. In her mind, Cameron and her sister were goddesses who were doing their best to show people how to live. Cameron was a mother, a football player, and was going to college. She was the epitome of what women should be working for.

She got the dungarees and plain women's underwear assembled by size, and got a reasonable shine on the pairs of boon dockers she collected.

"Petty Officer Brown, you got those dungarees ready yet?" A marine corporal asked as he came in.

"Yes, Charlie," she said and gathered the bundles up. "I won't keep the Captain or our special guests waiting." she said.

Charlie grew a grin and said, "Wait til you see them."

"Right, lead the way, Corporal."

"You're gonna blow a gasket," he said and chuckled.

"I got a pretty tight gasket."

"We'll see."

.

Now they were someplace they could relax, Cameron and Delilah checked each other's injuries. They were fine mechanically, but they both had some big rips in their skin.

"We need staples or something," Delilah said as she looked at a gap in Cameron's back skin. "At least John's repair on your head wasn't damaged. Close, but the bullet ticked off to the side.

A knock came at the door. "Laundry mate, with clothes for you."

They quickly put their clothes back together. "Thank you, you can come in," Cameron said.

A dark haired girl in dungarees came in and stopped. Her mouth was opened to speak. She just stared.

Cameron got up and took the clothes. "Thank you for bringing these." she said pleasantly.

The girl's mouth worked. She got out, "You,…. You're…"

"Cameron Connor. This is my sister Delilah." Cameron explained.

"You … you're here," the girl squeaked out. In a bit bigger breath she said, "You're really here!"

"We are. We're going to be riding back to the US with you," Cameron said. She noted the girl was starting to waver.

"It's a true no-shit … you're really here!"

Cameron caught her from stumbling to the side. "Perhaps you should sit," she said, and guided Brown into a chair. She took the clothes and passed them to Delilah.

" I… can't believe it, you're really here! You are my hero!" Brown cried.

Cameron grinned at her and said, "Hold on I'll get you a drink." She heard a marine snicker in the passageway. She stuck her head out the door. "Please, tell no one, she's really excited," she said to the men.

"You got it, Ma'am. In case she forgot to tell you, her name's Nancy Brown. Third class Petty Officer."

"Thank you," Cameron said and shut the door.

"Wow, underwear and everything," Delilah said, beaming at the pile.

Cameron got Nancy a bottle of water and uncapped it for her. "Here, drink this and relax for a moment."

Nancy gulped down a slug of water and kept up her stare at Cameron as Cameron took a seat by her.

"How… why are you here, of all places?" Nancy asked. "We're in the middle of nowhere."

"We will explain at what your Captain calls a 'GMT'. It is secret information, and we can't be seen by anyone off the ship."

"It will become apparent once we explain," Delilah added.

"You came to the middle of nowhere to pick us up. I take it you're a fan?" Cameron asked.

Nancy nodded. This close she saw what looked like a scar on her head, but it was silver. "What's that on your head?"

Cameron reached up and touched it. Right. "It's a wound. Don't worry, the skin will grow back. Speaking of that, can you get us a needle and thread?"

"Some kind of hat, too," Delilah added.

Nancy was finally able to firmly say, "We got a corpsman who can stitch you up. You'll probably need disinfectant too. That looks bad. What happened?"

Cameron though for a second, then decided to trust her. "It's a bullet wound."

"You got shot!" Nancy cried.

"We did. Our own bodily systems take care of any possible infections, but we still could use help closing the wounds up. We also have always taken care of each other. We don't go to doctors. That's why we want the needle and thread," she explained.

"Because you're different," Nancy concluded.

"Yes, can you help us?"

Nancy nodded, then asked, "Won't that hurt? I mean stitching each other up? That's shit they do in wild west movies."

"It's what we do. We've done it many times."

"A flesh colored thread would be best, so it doesn't show." Delilah said.

"Yeah, yeah, I can get that. I'm sure the corpsman wouldn't mind doing it," Nancy coaxed.

"We're more comfortable doing it ourselves. It's what we've always done," Cameron told her.

"Ok. So, you got a plate in your head or something?" Nancy asked.

Cameron tipped her head down. "Feel the back of my head."

Nancy did. "you got a thick ridge back here."

"Yes it's quarter inch thick repair plate. I had to have one after I got caught in a bomb blast."

"And you lived?" Nancy squeaked.

"It was close, but yes, I lived."

Nancy stared at her and said, "Fuck Bruce Willis! You guys are the real deal!"

"We are," Delilah said with a grin. "We can't go through metal detectors without setting them off."

In a soothing tone, Cameron said, "Just keep in mind, deep down, we're just like anyone else. We only want to have our families and do what's right."

"THAT's why you're my hero," Nancy said sincerely.

.

Charlie was standing outside on guard when Petty Officer Brown came back out. She wore a shocked look.

"Get to meet your hero?" he asked.

She stopped and said, "That was amazing. Totally un-fucking believable! I have to find them some needle and thread."

"Rip their clothes already?" he asked with a grin.

"No, help sew up their bullet wounds," she said. "Charlie, there much more to them than I ever guessed. Tough is not the word for what they are."

"Shouldn't they see the corpsman about that?" he asked.

"They won't. They stitch each other up."

"Damn! That's hard core." he said with a wince.

With a shake of her head, she said, "You have no idea," Then went to go find light skin colored thread and some needles.

.

In the 'chow hall', there were rows of tables with a breakfast nook shelf at the head end. The day after they boarded, they ship got under way. Cameron and Delilah had time to stitch each other up and make themselves presentable. The thread Nancy brought them was a light brown, but much better than black stitches. Long sleeve shirts and pants also helped obscure all their damage.

Two 'GMT's were going to be held, one for each half of the crew in the chow hall.

The Captain went in first to explain that this GMT was top secret, and had everyone sign forms to that they would never discuss anything they heard here off the ship. He then went over their route back home and let them know the day they were getting into port.

"The reason we're heading back so fast is to deliver our passengers." He told them. "We'll be in port for three days, then we're heading back out again. A couple of our passengers wanted to let you know why we're making this trip. Keep in mind, this is Top Secret information."

He stepped aside and motioned Cameron and Delilah in. Eyes lit up upon seeing them.

"Hello, I'm Cameron Connor, this is my sister, Delilah Connor," Cameron said with a wave. "You have to come out to the middle of nowhere, as was put, to come pick us up. We thank all of you for doing so. Many of you know us as College football players. That is true, we do enjoy playing football. That is not our job, however. In case you didn't know, we are not from here, the Earth you know. We're refugees that have found a wonderful place to live. In return for support and guidance from Government entites, we also assist the government in what you call black ops. We use our abilities to help where we can. On the east coast of Saudi Arabia there was a very bad man who was doing his best for world wide upheaval. He didn't care about millions, possibly billions dying, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. Except send us. We went, we stopped this guy cold, and we escaped across the peninsula to get to this ship. That's all I can tell you.

The only other thing I can say if the wrong people find out about us, what we do, it will be a total disaster for us and your government. We're talking possible wars. You don't want that. It would also become very hazardous for our family, so I am begging you, never say anything about it even to people who you don't think are a threat. All it takes is an innocent comment to someone who doesn't care, or understand the danger, to make disaster happen. We are working hard to ensure disaster does not happen. Do you have any question we can answer?"

A hand went up. "Mrs. Connor? I heard you got shot?"

"We both did, yes. Occupational hazard."

"And wounded, you had to flee across the desert?"

"We did. We fixed ourselves up as best we could and kept moving. We could not afford to get caught."

A woman asked, "Did you have to kill anyone?"

Cameron cast her a terminator stare and said, "Where we went, we killed everybody. No witnesses."

The corpsman raised his hand. "If you were shot, why didn't you come see me?"

"We do look human, but our physiology is different than yours. Our immune system is much stronger, and some things that can help you, may hurt us. It is safer if we just take care of ourselves, at least until all the differences between us are fully understood."

"So you really are aliens."

"Alien to human life, yes."

"We do have many very close similarities also," Delilah said, "Which may compound the problem. We were nervous when Joan was born. Her father John is human, but so far, Joan is growing up healthy."

"Joan is your baby?" the corpsman asked.

"Mine," Cameron said. "And when we get back Delilah gets her turn."

Another hand went up. "So the government says go kill this guy, and you do?"

"Negative," Cameron stated. "The government says why a person or organization needs to be removed, or a facility destroyed. We look at the data and determine if it is the right thing to do. If the target is truly a threat to the world, we act. We don't want threats to Earth."

Another hand went up. "How often have you done this?"

"I'm sorry, that's classified."

Another guy raised his hand. "This is off topic, but I have to know. Seeing your football games, how many teams have tried to sign you?"

Cameron and Delilah looked at each other. "Many, I forget," Delilah said.

"Me too, I wasn't paying that much attention to them. Just …. many," Cameron agreed.

"I got a question!" a skinny guy said as he raised his hand. "Do you two still sing? I caught that karaoke you did, you guys rocked!"

"Thank you. We can … is that something you'd like to hear?" Cameron asked.

"Yes!" the room exploded.

"Maybe we can set something up with the Captain?" Delilah asked.

Captain Cutter said, "Four days out from the Suez, we were going to have half way festivities. If you wouldn't mind participating."

"Sounds like fun," Delilah beamed. "But, what do we do?"

"Chief Reynolds? you have the list?"

A chubby man in a light brown uniform said, "Sure do, Captain. You ladies know what you want to sing?"

"As long as we can get the lyrics and the music, Take your pick. We'll do it if we can." Delilah told him.

A few guys pumped their fists and said, "Yes!"

"We'll need costumes. We can tear up and re-sew those drab shrouds the Saudi women wear," Cameron said.

"Good idea," the Chief said. "We meet down in the chopper hanger at eight bells."

A girl raised her hand and asked, "Could you do the Waterloo song again?"

"Sure, if we have the music," Cameron told her.

"How about living on a prayer?"

"I think you'd do Invincible really well," another guy said.

The Chief sat up higher and said, "How's this, Everyone gets to make two requests. We'll take the all the requests and the most number of requests we can do, we will." To Cameron and Delilah he asked, "Will that work?"

"Works for me."

"Me too."

Two hours later, after they ate in the Wardroom, they went back and did another GMT. The only real difference was Nancy Brown and one of her laundry girls begged to help make the costumes.

.

One thing Catherine Weaver was concerned about was social media. Something was going to get out about them being here. She proposed a change to the 'plan'. They were to meet two other ships at Gibraltar originally. She proposed to let people know that Cameron and Delilah came to Gibraltar for a vacation, and decided to do a show for the armed forces there. That would cover any videos that got out from the performances. Meeting on a scrambled channel, she got Watson accepted the idea. They contacted Gibraltar to set up a place.

Cameron and Delilah also got a relief. They got to call John and let him know they were all right and on their way home. Joan also wanted to talk to Mommies. By this time, a few cable stations had gotten wind of the planned performance by Thing One and Thing Two, and were sending cameras. The big surprise was they had even been heard about in Europe, so the British forces in the area were going to be invited to the show.

This was going to be much bigger than they had though possible.

.

It was not a burden staying below decks the next couple days. By Nancy's request, Cameron and Delilah took all the cloth from their Arab garb down to the women's lounge to pull it apart to see what they had to work with.

It became a costume party. Scissors appeared as did needles, thread, old uniforms clothing tape, and some dye packs. Cameron, Delilah and Nancy became a group of ten women who wanted to help get costumes together. Nancy became the director, matching colors, materials and getting some items dyed. Cameron sketched out her and Delilah's basic forms, and they worked at designing costumes.

Two days of work and they thought they had good 'Slash' top for Delilah, with a top hat. For Cameron, they made a cream colored halter. Both had strings that tied the front together, leaved a couple inch wide gap down the front, The plan was doing 'sweet child of mine'.

When Cameron and Delilah took their shirts and bras off to try their tops on, The girls stared. Nancy knew they sewed themselves up, but did not imagine the massive patchwork of stitches all over them. By all the small stitches, it looked like they got raked by machine guns. Long stitches told of shrapnel hits. Cameron had a long one just below her shoulder blades. And a spattering up her whole left side.

"Were you two in a war?" one girl asked, surveying the massive apparent damage.

"For about fourteen minutes," Delilah said. "They really didn't like us."

"It looks like they tried their damnedest to kill you!"

"They did. We got them first," Cameron told her. "These will heal up in another few days."

The tops did look good, ending just below their ribs to show belly, that was covered in stitches.

"Makeup will cover it up," Cameron assure everyone.

"You are the Iron Maiden," Nancy said vacantly. She could not conceive anyone taking that kind of damage and living to tell about it.

The black skirts Cameron had made long and stringy, being solid only to their upper thighs, then trailed on inch wide strings don just past their knees to hide the many stitch ups on their legs.

With cardboard to stiffen up the black top hat, their outfits did look good, and sexy. Someone donated their electric guitar for use. After listening to the tunes, Delilah went out onto the helo deck to practice playing it when they reached open ocean.

Standing in her outfit, and playing the electric guitar, she had a full audience taking pictures. Getting her timing down, she made the guitar wail. Once she was done, she turned the amp off and receive a long round of applause. She took her hat off and bowed to her audience and took her things back inside.

The crew was pumped about what to expect in the next couple days.

Being terminators, Cameron and Delilah worked 24/7 at the costumes and getting ready for the event. Four girls who sang, Cameron taught them what they were going to do and made them long black sleeves with long strings that hung down on a 'V' when they held their arms out.

Helicopter ops delayed the celebration. Part of the operation was a mail drop. Cameron and Delilah got a surprise package. John sent them their Thing One and Thing Two 'T' shirts. With a letter and a picture of him with Joan sitting on his lap, both waving.

The picture was passed around their group. Everyone loved little Joan.

The sea was calm, so the festivities were held on the helo deck. The 'barn doors' where the helicopter was stored were open and everyone who wasn't on watch was packed on that deck and the one above.

Wearing their Thing One and Thing Two shirts, Cameron and Delilah did _Waterloo_ with the beginning and ending acrobatics. Next was _Living on a Prayer,_ Then ran in to come out in their costumes with their chorus section in the Guns and Roses outfits, which by themselves, caused a mass of applause. _Sweet child of mine_ was a big hit, especially Delilah's guitar playing. Cameron stooped between songs to say, "When I first … came here, I met John but we, well, didn't get along the best. This song pretty much describes some of the turmoil I had."

She them blew them away with a perfect rendition of _Loosing my Religion._ Delilah handed the guitar over to Cameron and the hat and took her turn to do Pat Benetar's _Invincible_

The festivities were a rousing success. After dinner they did it again for everyone who didn't get to see it, and many who came back for another show.

It was also settling into the festivities group that once they got to Gibraltar, four other ships, a sub, plus a couple British ships and some of the garrison there were also attending, which mean the crowd to see them was going to be huge.

This required tactical planning. Their helo deck was too small to gather such a large crowd. Even against the docks, there was only one dock in the area, along the breakwater. That was large enough to hold that many people. They also had to expand the routine.

They did receive word of some help. A band that played on Gibraltar that knew most popular songs and were mostly military offered to play. Delilah gave them the list of songs they were going to play, plus one her and John wanted to sing for Cameron.

They practiced and on 'Field Day' when they were cleaning up the ship to go into port, Cameron and Delilah insisted on helping. Cameron did get asked to come back down from scrubbing up high on the side of the ship structure. Captain Cutter was terrified she'd fall.

He got another -semi, heart attack when Delilah pulled herself back up on deck near the bow from down near the water line, scrubbing off marks from bumpers and some green algae that had formed.

Still, the ship looked spotless when they arrived in port.

.

On the inside of the breakwater made by big rocks, the 50 foot wide dock already had solid lines of folding chairs. Centered around the where the rear of the ship was to go. A pair of TV cameras were set up on platforms. As soon as they tied up, another came on board to be set up on top of the helicopter barn.

In the preparations, Delilah asked Chief Reynolds to 'save a seat' for Cameron on the dock towards the end of the show. He wanted to know why. She finally told him and he agreed.

The night of the show, it looked like a real concert. There was only ten feet or walking room left on the dock, chairs were filling up fast, three spotlights were focused on the back deck. By now, most of Cameron and Delilah's stitches had been pulled out. The Corpsman insisted he help. He was amazed at the large piles of threat that got pulled out of them. Still their skin was smooth. They got their costumes on and the concert started.

The XO got to introduce them. The cheers immediately went up. They did the first part of the concert, which was the same songs as they did at sea. Cameron then did _In the living years_. She was about to say that was all and Delilah stopped her.

"No, nope, we got one more!" Delilah announced.

"We do?" Cameron asked eyeing her.

"We do!" Delilah said. She turned Cameron around by her shoulders and said, "Cam, walk the plank!"

The audience laughed.

"It's not what you think, the plank down to the dock,' Delilah said pointing.

"It's called a brow, and why am I going down there?" Cameron asked.

"To sit. Let's go!"

The lights and Cameras followed Delilah pushing Cameron along. Chief Reynolds got out the spare chair and opened it for Cameron. Delilah guided her into it." Sit!' she commanded.

Cameron sat. "What are you doing?" she asked, confused.

"I'll explain in one minute… about." Delilah told her. She then took a short run at the edge of the dock catapulted herself up a on a piling, flew up to grab the edge of the deck and flipped herself back onto the ship, which caused a round of applause.

Delilah gave a thumbs up to the band, then came over and sat on the edge of the deck, her legs dangling over the side.

"I want to tell everyone something. Cameron and John, they saved my life. I mean that. I would be dead if it wasn't for them. John wanted to sing a song for Cameron, but well, not only is he not here, but he really doesn't sing that good," she said with a flop of her arms, which caused a round of chuckles. "I realized that yes, I wanted to sing it too for Cameron, she is absolutely wonderful. I wanted to sing it for John too, because he has also been absolutely wonderful to me. I honestly don't know what would have happened to me if it wasn't for these two wonderful people who loved and supported me. So! For Cameron, from John, and me. And from me to our husband John, Cam, this is for you." She raised another thumbs up. The band began playing a soft tune. Delilah sung in a clear, melodic tone, watching Cameron,

 _( **The wind beneath my wings, Bette**_ **Middler_** )

 _It must have been cold there in my shadow_

 _To never have sunlight on your face_

 _You were content to let me shine_

 _That's your way_

 _You always walked a step behind_

 _._

 _So I am the one with all the glory_

 _While you were the one with all the strength_

 _A beautiful face without a name_

 _For so long_

 _A beautiful smile to hide the pain_

 _._

 _Did you ever know that you're my hero?_

 _You're everything I would like to be_

 _I can fly higher than an eagle_

 _Cause you are the wind beneath my wings_

 _._

 _It might have appeared to go un-noticed_

 _But I have it all here in my heart_

 _I want you to know the truth_

 _Of course I know it_

 _I would be nothing without you!_

 _._

 _Did you ever know that you're my hero?_

 _You're everything I wish I could be!_

 _I can fly higher than an eagle_

 _For you are the wind beneath my wings_

 _._

 _Did you ever know that you're my hero?_

 _You're everything, everything I wish I could be!_

Chief Reynolds noted Cameron was quivering, He looked to see a tear drip down her cheek.

 _Oh, the wind beneath my wings_

 _You, yes you_

 _Are the wind beneath my wings_

 _Oh you, you,_

 _The wing beneath my wings_

 _Fly high, I fly high_

 _So high I almost touch the sky_

 _._

 _Thank you, thank you_

 _Thank GOD for you_

 _The wing beneath my … wings._

The music wound down. Cameron bolted up out of her seat and charged the edge of the dock, a vault up and she caught the edge of the deck to flip herself up and on. Delilah managed to get up before Cameron ran into her and hugged her tight. Their shared , "I love you" was lost in the standing applause of the crowd.

Cameron and Delilah separated except for am arm around each other and waved to the crowds. "Thank you! That's all unless Delilah has another surprise for us." Cameron announced.

"Maybe next time," Delilah replied.

.

In another two days, they were giving the concert again. John called to let them know it was televised on a couple channels. They took a tour of Gibraltar with a tour group to find out local TV had played it. During the tour and meeting groups they met, Cameron and Delilah signed many autographs.

The group from their destroyer thought it was funny that none of the monkeys begging for peanuts from others would go near Cameron or Delilah. Delilah threw some peanuts at them and the monkeys ran back into the bushes and hissed at them.

"They know bad asses when they see them," Nancy said with a grin.

They had good time on the tours and walked down the 'spine' steps that went from the top of the Rock down into the town at the sea side base. From the spine steps they could see across the straights to the mountains of Morocco in Africa.

Cameron watched tiny objects coming north across the ocean. They almost looked like birds, but had an odd shape.

A ship was passing through the straights. A couple of the tiny black objects dropped down onto the ship. She saw brief flash, the another. Explosions. "Delilah, we have to get back, now!' she said. Delilah saw it too. There were a line of people in front of them and the steps were narrow. Both sides dropped off from the stairs steeply. Cameron and Delilah vaulted over the rail and headed straight down the steep hillside, hitting and jumping off rocks to speed down the slope.

"What are you doing?" Someone yelled to them.

They didn't have the time to respond. Those things were heading for the harbor. The ship was anchored, most of the crew off doing something. It was defenseless. Racing downhill, they leaped high back yard fences and ran though the narrow streets. A car they surprised skidded to a stop They jump up and off the roof, leaving two big dents in their flight, and a shocked driver.

Coming to the wider streets and the entrances to the docks, Cameron ran up to a guard. "There are small airborne machines coming from the south, they hit a ship out on the water, they are headed this way!"

Another guard came out holding an automatic weapon. "We know, take cover." he said firmly.

"We have to get to our ship!"

"Go!"

Cameron raced down the dock with Delilah right behind her. A few marines, some not in uniform, were out on deck with shotguns and rifles. Seeing the pair running, they called for them to hurry up and get below.

"Anyone have an extra gun?" Cameron asked as Delilah jumped up on top where the inactive sea wizz chain gun was.

A Sergeant pulled his side arm and tossed it to her. "Fifteen rounds, do what you can, but keep your head down," he said. Cameron rushed in jumps up to the starboard lookout post outside the bridge and took aim.

"Hold your fire until you are sure you can hit!" The Sargent cautioned.

Cameron aimed. Seeing several drones clumped up. She fired a shot. One blew up, making another spiral down. That also gave her a good aim reference. Right after Cameron got that one, a whine filled the air and a bright blue plasma bolt shot out from the ship to catch three, blowing them up.

Cameron fired one at a time, downing a drone with each shot. Delilah's plasma canons fired bright, hot streaks out, one after the other, obliterating two and three at a time. The Marines all opened up, downing more of them.

An explosion from the ship docked in front of them told of one drone getting through. Cameron swung around and got two more headed for that ship. Delilah saw no more in front of her, she began blowing up the ones headed for the ship in line behind them.

Cameron shot again then the barrel stayed back. "I'm empty!" she yelled. Behind her the Officer Of the Day knew he couldn't shoot down a drone with a pistol so he pulled his spare clip and yelled, "HERE!"

Cameron took it dropped her used clip out and slapped in the new one in and kept shooting. She shot down four more, then couldn't find any more targets. "Clear!" she called.

"Clear back here!" Delilah yelled back.

"Clear center!' the Sargent yelled. "Post middle and ends both side of the ship, we may not be done yet!"

Yes, they had defended their ship.

.

The after action report was confusing. Captain Cutter raced back to his ship to find it intact. The ones to both sides had some damage and a few wounded. His ship was untouched. The Sargent on duty and the OOD told him they had destroyed all the incoming drones on their ship, and many that tried to attack the ships to their sides.

With his report, which made him proud of his crew, he met with the other Captains and the port Admiral in his situation room.

The Port Admiral, who was English, tipped his head to Cutter and said, "We've never seen anything like that before, but that point defense system you have wiped out a large amount of those drones. That and the accurate fire from small arms, your ship saved much damage to the whole line. Bloody good show."

Cutter looked at his OOD. "The point defense was on?" he asked.

"No sir. It was dark, we only had ten marines and the one visitor, Cameron Connor, to shoot down drones. I have to say she was good. She dropped them one after the other with a nine millimeter pistol."

"Then want the hell was shooting off your mid-ship deck?' another Captain asked. "The brow watch said there was some kind of energy weapon operating. It shot these blue bolts out one after another. It was wiping out those drone faster than they could approach.

"Our boys saw that too, from across the bay," Another Captain said. "They thought it was some kind of new weapon. It was pretty impressive from what I hear."

Cutter was speechless. He had no idea what his ship had been firing. It sounded like some futuristic weapon. "Sirs, I am just as confused about this as you are. We only have the standard weapons load. We don't have an energy weapon."

The Admiral didn't look impressed. "Captain, I highly recommend you discover what weapons your ship was firing. I think that devastating display caused more hub-bub that the drones did."

.

With the attack, everyone was required to return to their ships to muster numbers and find out what everyone knew. Catherine, Delilah and Cameron were asked to stay in their quarters until Captain Cutter could figure out what the hell happened on board his ship.

A stem to stern search turned up no energy weapons. Since it came from the mid portion of the ship where the automatic chain gun was, The Captain, XO, Weapons Officer all watched as mechanics took the chain gun apart to see what was inside that thing. There was nothing unusual, only what should have been there.

No one had an answer to where those blue bolts had come from. Of course no one thought to ask their guests.

.

Catherine of course knew who the plasma shooter was. She cautioned Delilah not to say anything about shooting down those drones, and not to do so again unless it was a dire emergency. Meeting the Captain at a restaurant for dinner, she made small talk with him until after they were served and alone at their table.

"Captain, I hope no one was injured during that drone indecent?"

"No Ma'am. We escaped with no injury or damage, partially thanks to Cameron Connor's expert marksmanship. That woman is deadly with a pistol."

"She is," Catherine agreed. "I don't know anyone who can hold a candle to her with a firearm. I would like to discuss the events of the mysterious energy weapon."

Cutter perked up. "You know something about it?"

"I do, dear Captain," Catherine said firmly. "We brought it back with us from our foray in Saudi Arabia. It was not suppose to fire, but due to the threat, it did. I have taken care of that problem. Unless the ship in in great danger, it won't happen again."

"What is it?" he asked, listening intently.

"Experimental. We needed to test it. It does work well. We destroyed a large building, two helicopter gunships and a low flying plane with it. Apparently, it works well on small flying objects also. I am sorry if it caused you any grief."

"I can see why you want to keep something like this under wraps, we're talking very advanced tech here," he said.

"Yes, tech we do not want anyone else to know even exists, if we can help it," Catherine agreed. " I was not happy when I found out that weapon was fired. It will not happen again."

Captain Cutter offered her a smile. "At least now I know why everyone in the Admiral's situation room was looking to me for answers. This is something that is very black, isn't it?"

"Oh, it is. If we were caught, we would have had to destroy it, and us. No one can be allowed to poses it, Captain. The protection it offers is monumental, but turned against us, it can be devastating."

"It was just the three of you who went on this mission?" he asked.

"It was."

Cutter picked up her hand and kissed it. "Then Mrs. Weaver, that makes you and the Connors the bravest ladies I have ever met."

Catherine made a blush come to her cheeks as she smiled at him. "Than you, Captain. We are only doing what we have to do."

"Spoken like a true warrior," he said sincerely.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The second concert went well with vigorous applause and the snapping of hundreds of cameras.

Beside the news of the concerts, news of the mystery weapon was also abuzz. Captain Cutter was to bring his ship back 'with haste' to find out what his ship had been shooting. British and French ships and a cruise ship had all witnessed the 'bolts of pale blue fire' spitting out with deadly accuracy. Rumors of an unknown American energy weapon actively deployed on surface ships quickly became wide spread.

Colonel Watson had to do his magic to put pressure on squashing this information at least in the US, then he had to go explain to the White House what had happened.

As Cutter suspected, upon leaving port he got buzzed by aircraft of different countries. A Russian sub poked it's mast up only a few hundred yards away - most likely snapping all the pictures it could take, and he saw more than his fair share of fishing trawlers before he hit open ocean. Intelligence agencies around the world had marked his ship as having a secret weapon, and everyone was tying to get a look at it. It was so bad Cutter had his CIC people helping to perform incoming and outgoing air traffic control for safety reasons.

Due to the visual scrutiny, Cameron Delilah and Catherine Weaver had to stay below so they weren't spotted.

To keep busy, Cameron spend time in the laundry helping out, which pleased Nancy Brown to no end. Delilah spend time down in the engine rooms, doing small jobs for guys that were lusting over her.

By the time they were nearing King's Bay Georgia, Cameron and Delilah were all but considered part of the crew. Before entering port, there was one last helicopter operation. Ten miles out to sea, Catherine, Cameron and Delilah said their goodbyes and got their last pictures with the crew, then boarded the helicopter and flew ahead to the airport so they would not be seen getting off the ship in port.

The helicopter shuttled to an airport, then they boarded Mrs. Weaver's jet and flew home.

.

Claire was shocked and somewhat upset that Cameron didn't even say she was leaving. Even then, Sarah and John had insisted Cameron was only going to be gone 'a couple days'. It was nearly two weeks later that she caught word of their concert for the troops. Going on Youtube she found it. Claire knew her geography, and Gibraltar had a distinct shape in the background. The tribute to Cameron that Delilah did was very heartwarming, but damn it, why didn't anyone tell her Cameron was going to the Mediterranean?

Searching for other news, one station reported on a drone attack on ships in the harbor, but by the report there had been no significant damage. It was right about the time of the concert, so Cameron had been there. Claire decided on Sunday, she was going to get some answers!

.

John, Sarah and Joan met Cameron and Delilah when they arrived. Joan ran to her mothers and got hugs, end even allowed Daddy to hug her mothers, although Daddy took long hugs and smooches.

"We miss anything?" Cameron asked.

"Well, let's see," John said as he got between them and an arm around each of them. . "Claire isn't happy you two took off without telling her. Coach Benson is furious because they held an MVP ceremony and neither of you showed up. I manage to convince him Delilah was sick and you had to stay with her. He wasn't happy, but accepted it. That was until a few days ago when he saw the concert you two gave in Gibraltar. Colonel Watson also isn't happy and wants us to stay 'low key' for a while after that drone attack. Joan had learned some new words and is doing well on her numbers and letters. That's about it."

"Good for you sweetie!" Cameron beamed at Joan.

"Can I show you all my new words?" Joan asked happily.

"You sure can." Cameron assured her. "Have you been behaving for Daddy and Gramma Sarah?"

"I am! Daddy and Uncle Mark chase me around now and it's fun!" Joan said, beaming a smile.

Sarah didn't say anything. She was glad John and Mark had the energy to keep up with that hyper child.

.

One thing that had gotten Delilah hyped up was singing for crowd. She really like that. Once they got home, Joan was eager to spend time with them. Joan also wanted to see them swim again, so Delilah ordered new mermaid tails. The company knew what they ordered before, so the expedited two more tails to them with flesh colored webbed gloves. In their afternoon relaxing by the pool she began thinking about an original song they could do. She also ordered a guitar for the song she had in mind.

While they were having their reunion day, Another group was planning their weekend meeting. The Friends Of Alien Dignitaries (FOAD) thought they had finally found a picture of the craft Cameron and Delilah had come to Earth on. They took four years to meticulously put this craft together and get it as accurate as possible. It was a futuristic looking thing someone had scrounged a picture of. It looked sleek with rotating jet engines on the sides and one in the back. Due to a bit of blur, they could not quit tell what the pod was on the underside. Maybe a radar and antenna? On their twelve foot long model they were building, they decided a spot light and a thick aluminum tape wrapped paper tube could be a realistic radar looking protrusion on a small domed turret. The drone had a 'V' style tail, and the men engineering it even put retractable landing gear on it. The color was dark gray, like the photo, and instead of real jets, they used a 50 HP light airplane engine to power the three fans, which had of somewhat of a whine.

The remote control beast was hard to fly. Only one guy had the 'knack' to keep the thing level and make it do side to side maneuvers as well as fly ahead and back. Only brave enough to flight test it low and over a pond (it floated), Tod the pilot practiced constantly, so they would be ready for the weekend meeting at Canyon Falls Park. People were going to get to see it fly over the falls, the drift down into the 'landing zone' and see a model of the Connor's ship up close. This was going to be an exciting meet!

Although Cameron and Delilah had not come to Earth on any craft, they would recognize this craft immediately as a small MK 1 hunter/killer.

.

Knowing Joan liked to see mermaids, Cameron searched for a group who swam, and found a local group that got together at the Canton Falls Park swimming area, and were having a swim this next weekend. Cameron registered herself and Delilah in the 'mermaid review' line that judged mermaids on style, beauty, originality and popularity.

It sounded like fun.

Saturday, Delilah wanted her chance to get pregnant, so Cameron took Joan to see Allison. Claire was fine with them coming, and wanted to talk to her anyway.

Upon arriving, Allison squeaked happily as Joan did. They ran together hard enough to bounce off each other, then got up giggling and ran off together.

"They have endless energy," Claire said with a sigh.

"They are fun to watch," Cameron agreed. She shared a hug with Claire. Claire led her over to the couch to sit.

"So miss world traveler, what have you been up to?" Claire asked with a raised eyebrow.

Cameron pulled out a packet of pictures. "We had to go do a job, but after that, we met the ship that brought us back at Gibraltar."

"This was one of those trips you can't say where you went." Claire said, understanding.

"Yes. We did get pictures of the Rock, and the crew of the ship that brought us back. They were really great." Cameron said. "Did you see the concert?"

"I did. I have to say, you two were very good! I also thought Delilah's tribute to you was sweet. Cameron, you do know you deserve praise for the things you do," Denise told her.

Cameron offered her a smile that faded. "There are still things I want to change if I get the chance," she said. In the future she was from, Allison was still dead.

"You want things to be perfect?" Claire asked.

"Yes."

In a serious tone, Claire said, "Hon, look at everything you've done. Would perfect be nice? Sure it would. The mere fact you did your best to save the world, and continue to do so is … monumental. Look at it this way. You have a good man now and your own child. Was that even possible after you were changed?"

"no." Cameron admitted meekly. She was just an infiltrator.

"Original Allison, who was born in the original time, was she able to do the things you've done?" Claire prodded.

"No. But because of me, she no longer exists," Cameron stated.

"She does," Claire countered. "She's in there right now, playing with Joan. You, who had to endure what I'm sure is some pretty terrifying things, including basically destroying yourself, has managed to not only do what you needed to do, but now you are regaining your humanity. You have a child! By doing what you did, you saved original Allison, right in there, from having to go through a future where she will be forced to be stripped of her humanity! Hon, you came back and saved yourself as well as millions of others."

Claire clasped Cameron's hands and said, "You ARE the hero. You fought your battles and you won. Accept it and live your life. Enjoy your victory, you child, your life. Do not dwell on the things you can't do anything about. You may have not done it perfectly, but no one is perfect. Do not feel guilty about anything. You hear me?"

Cameron looked at Claire. In a way, she was right. "John is the reason I was able to succeed," Cameron stated.

"Then he's your hero."

"He is."

"That's fine," Claire assured her. "Everyone need someone to count on. I am very happy you have him."

On an impulse Cameron hugged Claire and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome dear."

Allison came running back in with Joan. "Mommy! Can we go see the fishy women too?"

"Fishy women?" Claire asked.

Cameron explained about the mermaid tails and Joan wanting to see them swim. They then all sat down on Mom's knees and Cameron showed them pictures of the ship she and Delilah were on and Gibraltar.

.

The mermaid Swim club consisted of several 16-21 aged girls, friends and family members. Few of them had even heard of Cameron or Delilah Connor. A boy in his first year of college had Cameron in his class and knew she played football and something about her being an MVP.

The area at Canyon Falls Park where they met was the oval shaped pond just beyond the pool below the waterfall. The water flowed over the falls into the pool at the base of the falls, then though a ten foot wide channel of rocks to collect into a long pond fifty yards long before running over more smaller rocks to continue on in a stream. The water was usually clear down to the eight to nine foot bottom in the deepest places.

A walkway ran along the pond and falls pool with a 'beach' for swimming at the far end of the pool. The mermaid club used rocks sticking up along the sides of the pond for photo ops. The clarity of the water and nearby walkway was also good for getting good shots of swimming mermaids. About halfway down the pond, the walkway hung out over the water, which made it a perfect 'roll off' point for getting in and out. The 'fish heads' were all gathered by the shorelines.

While John, Daniel and Claire took Joan and Allison to the beach area so the girls could use their float toys, Cameron and Delilah took their tails down the walkway to the 'roll off' point where a gaggle of girls had collected. Bags, clothes and makeup kits were scattered on the ground and on rocks as mermaids got ready to go swimming. Guys with cameras and video cameras set up. One guy in a rubber boat had his camera for underwater shots.

Cameron saw a woman with a clipboard writing down names. Fully dressed, she obviously wasn't here to swim. That had to be the coordinator, Laurie. Seeing Cameron, Laurie waved her and Delilah over.

"Names?" Laurie asked.

"Cameron Connor. This I my sister, Delilah Connor."

"Thank you," Laurie said and wrote their names down. She pointed with her pencil to the walkway where girls were changing and getting into the water. "Get dressed and get wet. Gary in the boat over there is getting underwater shots of every girl. You'll have to dive under in front of the boat, go under it if you can. After that, see over there on the shore, we're going to get a group picture of everyone in their tails. After that Cindy will be giving pointers on how to best use your tails. Gary will be taking underwater shots for the club. Ron, over there on that rock will be taking the above water shots. Do you have goggles?"

"We're fine," Cameron said.

"Goggles will keep your eyes from becoming irritated, you really should get some," Laurie insisted. "Have fun."

"Thank you," Cameron and Delilah chorused, then went over up put their tails on.

.

In the park other people were setting up displays at the pavilion. The grill and picnic area was being shared by both groups. On the land area of the park, the UFO groupies were gathering. Besides their 'landing area' they makred out with ribbon and flags, there were poster sized pictures of Cameron and Delilah singing and on the football field. They were the Alien Dignitaries, and someone had made nicely bound book with pictures that detailed the political roles they fulfilled. The group, FOAD, had a poster stating their purpose of recognizing and welcoming their galactic visitors.

Mark and Sarah were wandering around, arms around each other. Sarah noticed that the volleyball/horseshoe area was being marked off. "What are they doing there?" Mark wondered aloud.

"Some flying saucer display," Sarah said as she pointed to the display sign that was telling about the 'Connor's spacecraft.'

Mark chuckled and said, "That will be interesting to see," With a grin, he quietly asked, "Do these people have a clue Cam and Delilah are right over there by the pond, right now?"

Sarah let out a snort and said, "I doubt it."

With a big grin, Mark asked, "Should we tell them?"

A dark haired woman in a dress with a FOAD button came over to them, casting them a bright smile. "Hello, Have you come to learn about our galactic visitors?"

"We just came to see what was here," Sarah said pleasantly.

Looking at Sarah intently, she happily said, "They are here, in fact they go to College right down the road. They even have a family. One day you may even see them."

"Or have to chase Cameron's child around the house?" Mark asked with a smirk. Sarah elbowed him.

The woman firmly told Mark, "There has not been no solid evidence that Cameron Connor had a child. There have been rumors but no proof."

Mark laughed at her. He asked Sarah, "Who's kid is it that wears you out then?"

"Mark, stop," She grumbled.

"Gamma!" Joan and Allison ran over in front of Sarah. Pointing, Joan cried, "Mommies One and Two are putting fish suits on! Come see!"

"Yeah Aunties, come see!" Allison cried. The children grabbed Sarah's hands and towed her over towards Claire.

"Sir," the woman told Mark firmly. "Sightings of our alien visitors are not common. No one had gotten positive proof of Cameron and Delilah's family. We only know what they tell us."

"You never met them, have you? Mark asked.

"Access to our alien visitors is restricted by the government. Everyone knows that!" the woman stated firmly.

Mark shrugged and said, "Well, I figured you guys, if anyone, would want to come see them swim. That's where we're going."

.

Cameron rolled in and swam underwater to the rubber boat. Rolling over on her back, she

Waved at the camera, and passed underneath. Then circled around the boat near the bottom as Delilah came by. Delilah did the same. Seeing another girl, a thin blond, pumping hard to try and get to the boat, they circled around her, then clasped her hands and swam her under the boat then guided her to the surface. The girl had a pretty blue tail with scales and a big fancy fin, but she could hardly move by herself.

Breaking the surface the girl sucked in a lung full of air.

"How do you do that? You were under for a long time!" the girl gasped.

"Practice," Delilah told her.

"Use smooth, undulating motions," Cameron advised. "That will work better then kicking."

"Yes, use your whole body to move, like a snake."

"Thanks!" the girl beamed.

They swam to the shore the hand walked up onto the beach to sit side by side.

"My name's Katy," the blond offered. "I take it you've been doing this a long time?"

"Longer than some," Cameron said non-commitally.

"We've had practice," Delilah added.

"Daddy got me this tail. I think it's prettier than the one Marsha has. That's her, the carrot top," she said, pointed to another younger girl climbing up onto the shore. You guys are joining our club?"

"We might be," Cameron told her. "My daughter wanted to see us swim so we brought her today."

"You have a kid? Wow, you don't look old enough. Were you like pregnant at twelve or something? I'm surprised your parents let you keep it!" Katy gushed.

"Joan is my child, no one is going to take her away from me," Cameron stated.

"You got guts! A girl I knew who was in high school, Gina, her parents made her have an abortion. Where to you go to school?"

"Canyon College. We're freshmen."

"You're in college, really?" Katy gushed.

"Yes we play football," Delilah told her.

Katy looked at Cameron closely, then Delilah. "Wait!" She pointed at Cameron and said, "You're the Iron Maiden" Pointing to Delilah she added, "And you're the Bulldozer right?"

"We are."

"This is cool! And you beat up boys!"

Cameron laughed and said, "Not unless we have to."

"Ladies, face forward please. Big smiles and wave!"

They smile and waved as Gary was slowly panning the camera over them. He got shots of them all and said, "OK, thanks, I'm done."

"OK girls, free swim time!" Laurie called.

Cameron and Delilah swam up the pond to where John and Claire had Joan and Allison sitting on rocks, watching for them.

.

"Here comes someone," Claire said, pointing at a ripple in the water.

Delilah's head appeared. Her tail splashed as she hand walked close in shallow water. Cameron's head popped up and came in to shore.

Cameramen were taking plenty of pictures. They got shots of the mermaids in the shallows with their family around them. Joan wanted to take a swim with Mommy. Allison wanted to go to. After Delilah OK'd it with Claire, she and Cameron put the small girls lying on their chests, and kicked off swimming on their backs like otters. After a loop in the pool, they went down the pond swimming along at a decent speed. People on the shore and the other mermaids were watching them, fascinated by how fast they were going, each making wakes. Joan and Allison were happily waving to people they passed. Reaching the end of the pond, they swam back to the other end where John and the family were waiting.

John was loving this. Although he knew he had the two hottest mermaids here, there were others that had great costumes. One 'golden' girl had done her blond hair in glitter, to match the gold and glittered tail she had. Another girl that swam by chose a gray and dark tiger striped tail that went perfect with her long, dark hair. A couple girls had 'goldfish' tails that were wide and bore side trailers off the fins. Every tail was different, and they all looked great. Some were also still learning how to use their tails.

John also noticed that none of the other mermaids could 'motor' along on their backs like Cameron and Delilah were doing. A couple of the girls could barely swim on the surface. After Cameron and Delilah left the children back on the shore, they were flying along under water. Multiple cameras were tracking them.

Swimming to one end of the pond like a pair of torpedoes, Cameron and Delilah went deep and jumped, porposing out of the water to clear a good three feet of air with each jump, which got cheers from the shore. They made jump after jump all the way up the pond and into the pool by the waterfall. People clapped and cheered when they jumped straight out of the water in the center of the pool to do complete backflips before splashing back down head first.

Even the UFO people were leaving their meeting area to line the shore to watch the athletic display. At a section of railing where the walkway came close to the water, Cameron erupted out to jump up and did a handstand on the railing, then crunched up on herself and threw herself back in, managing to twist around and dive in head first.

Her stunt was met with cheering and hearty applause.

Right after that, Delilah shot up high out of the water, She grabbed the railing with too much momentum. her body was flung hard around the rail. Delilah landed on her back with a hard SLAP that shook the ground. Cameron appeared to jump up atop the rail as people gaped.

"Hey, You all right?" Cameron asked.

Delilah was laughing. "Opps!" she cried.

"On My GOD! It's THEM!" a man cried.

Some of the FOAD people suddenly realized who they were looking at. Delilah crawled up on the rail, Cameron helped her higher so she could pull herself up to sit. Cameras were snapping pictures like crazy. They also got pictures of the crack that was now in the sidewalk.

The woman who Sarah and Mark had seen, came closer, staring wide eyed at Cameron and Delilah. "You... You are Cameron and Delilah Connor!"

"We are," Cameron agreed.

Ten UFO'ers dropped to their knees, three bowed and yelled, "We're not worthy!"

Cameron laughed at their reaction and slipped backwards off the rail. Delilah tried to save her and was pulled down on top of her. They giggled their way untangled to sit on the edge of the shore.

"Don't make so much of us, we're just like anyone else," Cameron told them.

One girl in the water who had an very pretty and complex mermaid tail asked, "How can you say that after how you just swam? You two swim like fish!"

"You're the fastest swimmers I ever saw," a man with a video camera said.

"We happen to be talented," Delilah explained.

"Yes, we are good at adapting," Cameron told them.

"What's that?" someone asked as the looked at the top of the falls.

Cameron and Delilah heard the engine. Delilah looked to see a hunter/killer rise above the top of the falls. Immediately, she fell into terminator mode ; destroy the threat. She had a firing solution as she pulled herself up on her knees with her right arm, her left arm came up, morphing into a canon.

"Metal!" John screamed. No more had he got the word out of his mouth and Delilah's left arm/canon glowed bright and fired the highest energy charge she could. The large plasma bolt blasted through the air and obliterating the flying craft, not even slowing down as it disintegrated the craft except for the two side engines and pieces of the tail that fell away.

Time seemed to stop. Everyone froze in place as the fan shrouds tumbled and the fuel that had been on the craft blossomed out into a fireball. Tod, who was flying the craft with the remote, felt his heart seize. His baby had just blown up! All his hard work was just obliterated! He stared in disbelief at the fan housings and burning bits that tumbled into the pool below. He jaw was open in disbelief and his breath failed him.

The air was dead quiet. not a sound was made except for the bits of craft that splashed down into the pool. After several long heartbeats, someone asked, "What was that?"

Opps. That wasn't a real hunter/killer. Delilah has seen the familiar drone of Skynet, and automatic reaction took over. She'd destroyed it to protect her family. Only it wasn't real. Too late, she'd analyzed the image to discover it wasn't large enough and the tone wasn't right, as well as the body structure or the fake canon. With Cameron, John and Joan all right here, and with her very own fetus beginning to grow, she had taken the threat out before she analyzed it.

"Was that a lightning bolt?" someone asked.

"No, it was straight," someone else said.

Delilah rolled into the water and pulled herself towards the bottom to leave as quietly as possible. Once under, she swam s fast as possible back to the roll-of area and jumped up and on. Cameron followed suit. They both knew they didn't want to stay and answer any questions. They had to leave, quickly. Everyone was still staring at where the craft had been. By the time anyone looked down to ask if they knew what happened, they were getting out of their tails and scooping their things up to make themselves scarce.

Tod dropped to his knees, staring at the bits floating on the water.

Mark knew exactly what had hit that craft. He grabbed Sarah and headed for the car, They wanted a quick get away. John gathered Joan, Allison and the Youngs, and guided then to the car. It was time for them to go.

.

Greg had come to watch the mermaids. Seeing Cameron and Delilah here, and in mermaid costumes was awesome. He didn't bring a camera, but he was enjoying all the girl flesh showing. Between some of the outfits that included more body paint than clothing, and Cameron and Delilah's expert swimming show, he was having a great time.

He'd seen Delilah quickly get up on her knees by grabbing the rail and thrust her strange looking arm at the flying craft. He'd seen the bright flash start at her arm and shoot out to wipe the craft out of the sky. Delilah had drawn and shot with the speed of a wild west Gunslinger. He stood, jaw agape as Delilah and Cameron slipped quietly back into the water to swim away. He'd see it, by he didn't know what she had drawn to shoot with. When they passed by underneath, he still didn't notice and type of weapon on her smooth, sexy body.

They passed by him under water, swimming like fish possessed. He tracked them as they jumped out where there was no railing on the walkway. They got out of their tails to show max amounts of smooth leg, scooped up their things and ran for the parking lot. Neither one of them had any kind of weapon. And why had Delilah shot?

What the hell was that about?

.

Dana, the head of FOAD, like everyone who'd witnessed the 'Connor' craft get blown up, was in a state of confusion. The craft was gone, and so were Cameron and Delilah. They were here one minute, doing stunts and laughing, then the craft showed up, blew up, and they were gone. She ran over to look in the water. Several mermaids were treading water, talking about the explosion, but Cameron and Delilah had disappeared.

"That was a weapon," her co-member Randy, announced. "It came from right there, where THEY were."

"Why would they blow up a tribute to their own ship?" Dana asked.

Randy thought for a moment, then took on a serious look. "Dana, what if the picture we got wasn't their craft, but an enemy that was looking for them?" he asked. "What if what we saw had come here to try to kill them?"

Dana's jaw dropped at the implication. "That thing might still be after them!" she said weakly.

"Yeah. They saw it, they destroyed it and ran. WE scared them away."

Dana felt sick. How could they ever make this up to their Alien Dignitaries?

.

"So much for staying low keyed. At least it happened fast," Mark said, trying to console Delilah as they headed home. "You were low to the ground, so chances are, with the confusion, no one noticed where that shot came from. Everyone was looking up at the explosion and you got out of there fast. Even witnesses who saw it won't be able to agree on the point of origin."

"Delilah, don't feel bad. We all thought it was a hunter killer," Sarah told her. "You did what you thought was right. You did the safe thing, you destroyed it."

"What idiots would make something like that?" John asked.

"UFO nuts," Mark said. "Those people will do all kinds of weird shit. It was just a coincidence. I doubt they meant to copy a machine designed to kill." He then asked in a light tone, "Hey! How about we stop for ice cream, will that make it all better?"

His words were so ridiculous, John started laughing. Seeing her father laugh, Joan laughed too. Cameron snickered, then Sarah started chuckling at the stupidity.

They stopped for ice cream.

.

Back at the park, the mermaids helped collect the debris floating in the water. Tod finally got his senses back enough to cry over 4 years of hard work suddenly being vaporized.

Dana and Randy went into investigative mode. A couple members were videoing Cameron and Delilah. Watching one video from a member right by the rail, he caught them falling off the rail, laughing. Upon someone calling "What's that?" Everyone looked up, including Cameron and Delilah. Delilah's left arm was a blur of motion as she knelt. The picture whited out briefly, then she and Cameron fled into the water. The big orange fireball from the explosion hadn't died out yet, and they had slipped under water and were gone. Everyone had been watching the fireball.

"Back it up, frame by frame," Dana coaxed. They watched the Aliens back out of the water and just before Delilah was back on her knees, Dana said "Stop! Look at her arm."

When Delilah had lowered her arm, there was no hand on the end. He whole arm was cylindrical, like a gun barrel. Frame by frame, they watched the end of her arm slowly reform back into a hand and wrist just before she hit the water.

"My God, her arm is a weapon!" Randy said.

"Yes, some kind of energy weapon." Dana agreed. "No hesitation, she saw it, shot, then they fled."

"That's totally amazing!" Randy cried.

Dana pursed her lips and said, "If the government finds out about this, they will take her to area 51 and experiment on her."

"We can't tell anyone about this," Randy said. "We tell everyone there was a flaw with the model, that's why it blew up."

"Yes, we must," Dana agreed.

.

Since Allison had ridden with the Connors, Daniel and Claire also came up to the house. It wasn't Sunday, but they decided to have a BBQ anyway. Cameron and Delilah got their tails back on for the girls. Mark and Derek took on the grilling duties. John and Sarah kept an eye on the news and latest videos that were put up on the net to see how much they had to worry about.

Entertaining their family, Cameron and Delilah found out they could do 'tail stands', which was a hit, and jump out of the water to land flat on the patio, which caused a few winces from the SLAP they made when they landed.. That was a fast way of getting out of the pool.

The only news, on the local evening news was word of the model space ship the FOAD people had made, blew up due to a design flaw, and no one was injured. That and a couple clips of mermaids swimming with their club was all that was said. There was a clip of Cameron and Delilah jumping clear of the water. They didn't see anything to worry about.

.

Another charity event was going to be held before school started again. This one was going to be a festival type event, with carnival games and a couple shows. Delilah wanted to try out her original song. Talking with Cameron and Claire, Claire thought a song by Delilah and Cameron dancing would be something people would want to see.

John helped Delilah with the lyrics. He thought it was risky, but then again, if she did it right, it could be a hit. It also could be a disaster if anyone thought it was real. It was a bold plan, and both Cameron and Delilah wanted to do it, so he decided to keep the details from Sarah and hope for the best. They did have makeup and props to make.

.

Greg walked though the park. Around him, people were gathering in clumps talking about that weird explosion. It wasn't the explosion he was thinking about.

Delilah had been sitting on the piece of shore between the walkway railing and the water. Her and Cameron in their mermaid tails. They had been doing silly stunts and having fun. They suddenly, like a wild west gunslinger, in one motion Delilah pulled herself to her knees and pointed her left arm at something flying above the falls. The shot, he guessed it was, came a blink after she aimed. Just like Clint Eastwood, but much deadlier.

Delilah didn't have a gun. Greg knew she didn't. He'd been watching her smooth form race through the water and do amazing jumps. Yet she'd pointed her arm and shot some kind of blindingly bright object. She didn't throw it, there was no throwing motion. She shot it, and it streaked out to obliterate whatever was flying. That bright ball was shot right from her arm. It flew like a bullet and totally destroyed that craft.

Right after she shot, he thought her arm looked funny, but before he got a good look, she'd rolled over and slipped under water. Cameron followed right behind, then like a pair of torpedoes they had shot past him near the bottom.

Greg kept replaying the scene in his head as he slowly walked through the park. It was something like he'd expect to see on TV or in a movie. Only this wasn't special affects. It was real, he knew who it was who did it.

He heard some people talking about frightening Cameron and Delilah away. Pausing he looked over at the group. Frighten them away? That broad was kidding, right? They were talking about the Iron Maiden and the Bulldozer. Two of the toughest people he'd ever seen.

Delilah could draw and shoot like the friggin Sundance Kid. But shoot what? She had no weapon, at least that he saw. Before or after the shot, there wasn't any object visible in her hand or on her person. He would have, and did notice every bulge on her. Delilah had some nice bulges and curves.

In his wandering, he heard a Park Ranger call as he was heading this way. Greg stopped.

"Excuse me, did you see what happened here?" the Ranger asked.

Greg pointed to the top of the falls and said, "Something blew up, up there. I have no idea what."

"That's it, you didn't see anything else?"

"Not really sir. That was strange enough."

"OK, thanks," the Ranger said and went on to other to keep asking questions.

Greg decided he was done here for the day. For some reason, he kept seeing an image of Delilah on a wild west street, wearing a wide brim hat, brown duster, a US Marshall badge, and wearing dual six-guns on her hips. OK, that was a hot, bad-ass image.

.

The coming festival was going to be an all day event. Again, all proceeds were going to charity, and all workers were volunteers. Well, Daniel was volunteering but Cameron was still paying him a full day's wage. Talking to a couple buddies, Daniel scared up a whack-a-mole machine, a couple pin ball machines and a bowling machine. Someone else brought some video game machines, including an original Donkey-Kong. There was a dunking game in which the high school Principal and a couple teachers volunteered to sit on the seat above the pool. A couple guys were bringing BB guns for some shooting skills games. Unlike the normal carnival guns, people would actually have a chance to hit something and win some prizes. A couple environmental groups and had information booths and there were the required fried dough and hot dog stands.

Since they had to bring everything, Daniel got to work with John and Derek building the stage unit Delilah and Cameron were going to use. They started with a trailer frame so the whole thing could be towed. That, and a lot of lumber. With the drawings and dimensions Cameron gave them, they build a half round performance stage with a shadowed area in the back. The stage was on the back of the trailer, the shadowed area was towards the front with a rear exit door and a closet to hold their props. Over the front of the stage a curtain rod was put up to close the stage off with a simple white curtain.

While the boys began the structure of the stage and Delilah and Cameron practiced and got their routine down. Although John and everyone was eager to see what they were gong to do, Cameron and Delilah kept it a secret.

Claire got them registered and put on the list of attractions. She wanted to see what Cameron and Delilah were going to do also, and she too like everyone else, was told it was a secret.

.

The day of the festival, John drove the Jeep down to the grounds towing the trailer. Their spot was marked out, a coordinator showed him the place they were to set up. He got the trailer in place and blocked up, parked the jeep and went up to the shut trailer door.

"Can I see yet?" John asked as he knocked.

The door opened part way. Cameron stuck her head out. "Come in, but don't tell."

John went in. By the light from the open roof hatch, he noted Cameron was in a form fitting dull black suit. Hanging on a peg was the full coverage head cover. Delilah had changed into ... rags. The one arm of her long sleeve shirt had a big tear in it. Silver showed through the rip. Her hair was ruffed up and another silver line ran from her forehead, down her temple. Her fingers were mostly bare metal and she just put on the most worn out jeans with splits and frays, silver showing in one rip.

"What did you do to yourself?" John cried at her.

Delilah cast John a smile and said, "I uglied up." Holding up a hand, she wiggled her bare fingers and said, "Other places I used pieces of aluminum to simulate metal showing. I morphed my fingers to look like bare endoskeleton."

"Why?" John cried. "You can let people see you like this!"

"It's part of the act, John," Cameron explained.

Cameron took a crumbly stone out of the closet and said, "She's going to sing to a gravestone. I'll be behind her dancing. You'll see when we start. Could you open and shut the curtain for us?"

John eyed them. "OK, but, I don't think Delilah should be showing metal in public. We try to avoid that," he told them.

"It will be fine John," Delilah assured him. "It will all make sense, I promise."

John let out a sigh and said, "I hope you know what you're doing."

"We have shows at 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM," Cameron told him. "We will look normal between shows." She then kissed him and said, "It will be fine, John."

Delilah kissed him and said, "Trust us."

John winced and said, "I do, but my stomach doesn't."

9 am came early to John. A crowd was gathering outside the stage. From inside, Cameron called out, "This is called the thousand year Lullaby!"

Stilted guitar music started. John gulped and opened the curtain. Delilah was sitting on a rock, looking at a broken headstone in front of her, and she was a mess. Her bare metal fingers were strumming a guitar that had broken strings hanging from it. Her motions were not smooth, but jerky, like she was being as machine like as possible. The roof hatch was shut. Behind her, Cameron was dancing ballet moves in her dull black suit, her head cover making her completely black.

Although the music was stilted, the tone was good and somewhat somber. Delilah then began singing loud, but in a crackly voice

 _Alone on a gray hill I tread on the dry and withered grass_

 _Going around in my thoughts is your far away place in the sky_

 _._

 _The petals swaying in the wind are your tender smile_

 _The wind it caresses me like your gentle touch_

 _My words flow on to you on the other side_

 _._

 _I'll play a song that no one knows_

 _And keep up this broken tone_

 _Even though this body may rust and stop_

 _I'll keep singing to your collapsed stone_

 _._

 _Although this body of mine is artificial_

 _this heart is dedicated to your song_

 _with my thousand year lullaby_

 _._

 _Facing the setting sun a faded guitar in my hands_

 _strings hang loose and swaying_

 _a shadowed figure dances to my tune_

 _._

 _I will always sing this song for you_

 _my worn out fingers duly reflect the light_

 _The melody I hum rides the wind to the other side_

 _._

 _As long as I can move, I'll keep on singing_

 _my thousand year lullaby_

 _._

 _Faint cracks of my silver gears_

 _resound the dark gray beat_

 _the reflection on my glass eyes_

 _how fake they must be_

 _._

John noted that as Delilah sang, her voice was slowly becoming weaker and her head movements were jerkier. Her eyes just stared straight, not tracking anything.

 _Although we can no longer meet under this sky_

 _I'll continue to sing to you on the other side_

 _I will never give up my sung words to you_

 _in my thousand year lullaby_

 _._

 _When voice fails and my fingers refuse to move_

 _I want again to be with you on the other side_

 _does one like me crossover_

 _after my thousand year lullaby?_

 _._

Delilah's last words were choppy. At the end her head bounced down and stayed. Her hands stopped moving. Cameron ended her dance by hugging Delilah from behind. John closed the curtain

Applause and whistles rose. One man looked at John and asked, "Was that a moving mannequin, or someone in costume?"

"Yeah, it kinda looked like … both," the woman beside him said.

"I think that's the saddest song I've ever heard," another woman said in a sniffle as she clapped.

John got it. Delilah was trying to get them to think about intelligent machines. Machines that were capable of feelings. He smiled at the man and said, "I think you're suppose to decide which it was."

"Well, it certainly wasn't a real robot!" the man stated.

John shrugged and said, "That's up to you."

"The next show's at eleven right? I'll come back and figure it out then!" he stated.

"Can we talk to the performers?" the woman asked.

"I'll see," John told her.

.

It took Cameron a half hour to come out in a normal shirt and shorts. Delilah emerged with a long sleeve shirt and pants, her hair brushed and ponytailed. The woman who wanted to see them was right there. Her gaze went straight to Delilah's fingers.

"How did you do that? The skinny metal fingers, I mean?" the woman asked.

Delilah smiled and said, "Optical trickery."

"That was the best special effects I ever saw. I thought those were your real fingers!"

Delilah raised a hand and wiggled her fingers. "They are."

The woman laughed. "No the other ones, and you played that guitar with them. That's amazing."

"I practiced," Delilah said with a smirk. "Did you enjoy it?"

"I certainly did! That was very original and well done. So, that was you singing? That most have been hard," the woman gushed.

"It was a challenge. We're glad you liked it."

"I'm going to go tell my friends, that HAVE to see that!" the woman said and hurried off.

"You've got a winner," John told his wives.

At ten thirty when Cameron and Delilah went back in the trailer to get ready, people were already starting to gather.

.

The 11 AM show had a big crowd. Delilah and Cameron performed flawlessly. John closed the curtain to a loud round of applause and cheers. The 3 PM show crowd came with cameras, one being from the local news station. After the show, a reporter hung around the trailer with the cameraman and a few curious others.

John knocked on the trailer door. "Girls? A reporter is here and wants to talk to you."

"Give us seven minutes," Cameron called back.

"Seven minutes," he told the dark haired woman.

Delilah and Cameron came out, looking normal except Delilah still had a piece of aluminum tape on her forehead that ran to her temple.

The women turned to the Cameron and said, "This Is Maria Gonzales with Cameron and Delilah Connor. Most people know these two as football stars, but today, they gave that original and heartfelt performance!" Turning back to them, she said, "Delilah, What's that on your forehead?"

Delilah touched it and said, "Aluminum tape to help make me look like a broken down robot. It doesn't come off easy, so I'm going to wait until I get home to get it off. I've got it all over me."

"You did that very well! We know you as playing football, but with this performance and the one you and Cameron did in Gibraltar for the troops, you are both talented singers too! Do you plan to many more performances?"

"The one in Gibraltar, like you said, was for the troops away from home. This was for charity. We don't do it to make money, or plan to go professional."

"Will you be returning to the gridiron this fall?" Maria asked.

Delilah blushed and said, "I won't., I'm going to have a baby so I can't, but Cameron and John will."

"Congratulations! Do you have possible names yet?"

"Not yet. We are discussing the baby's name. We have several possibilities," Delilah told her.

"I wish you the best with you new child. Cameron, that dancing you did, it almost looked like ballet," Maria said and pointed the microphone at Cameron.

"Yes, it was. I have danced Ballet. I find it enjoyable," Cameron replied.

"Wow, Both of you are certainly multi-talented! I am sure you will both do well at whatever you do." Turning back to the camera, Maria said, "This has been Maria Gonzales with the milti-talented Cameron and Delilah Connor. Back to you, Peter!"

With the camera off, Maria asked Delilah, "I have to know, how did you make your fingers so thin? That really looked like you had a metal skeleton on your finger."

"Optical trickery," Delilah said.

Maria grew a grin, "In other words, trade secret?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Thank you for the interview I really appreciate it." Maria said. They all shook hands and Maria left with her Cameraman..

"That went well," John said, happy there were no problems.

His phone rang. He answered it, "John Connor."

"Watson here. We got a problem we would like your help with. There's a man we have that we need answers to vital questions from. Our allowed questioning methods aren't working. Can you give us a hand?"

"When and where?" John asked.

"Give us the place, we'll bring him."

John thought for a moment then said, "That destroyed hill north of the depot. Remember it?"

"I do, when?"

"Tomorrow noon."

"We'll be there." *click*

John folded up his phone. "Girls, we have a job making someone talk."


	37. Chapter 37

CH 37

Cameron and Delilah drove out to the hill where the coltan had been stored. Arriving, they found two black government cars there. Men were standing around, two were on either side of a Chinese man in handcuffs.

Colonel Watson walked up to the terminator pair as they got out of their car. He nodded back to the man in handcuffs. "Ling Wang there was caught with secret information on his computer. A virus planted in the data transmitted his location. He was here on a diplomatic visa and claims diplomatic immunity. He refuses to speak to us. I was hoping you two can get something out of him. We have to stay within the limits of the law, and can't do anything to him."

"What do you want to know?" Cameron asked.

"How he got the data. From who, his contacts. As much as you can get," Watson said and handed her a clip on mike. "Just get him to talk, we'll listen."

"Take his cuffs off and leave," Delilah said. "You're not going to want to see this."

"Right." Watson walked back over to the man. He pointed over to Cameron and Delilah and said, "Mr. Wang, you can speak to me now, or I'm going leave you here and those two will ask you questions. They won't be very nice, either."

"I want my lawyer and my Embassy informed!" the Chinese man stated.

"Your funeral," Watson said. "Uncuff him."

They took the cuffs off, got in their cars and left. The Chinese man watched them go, then met Cameron and Delilah who were walking towards him.

"I need a ride ..." he started, and was quieted by Cameron punching him in the mouth. He flew back and hit the ground.

He eyed her malevolently, wiped the blood from his lips and rose, taking a martial arts stance. "I do not like hurting women!"

"I don't mind one bit," Cameron replied. She walked close, he aimed a side kick for her head. She leaned her head into the kick.

TINK

His leg recoiled. Wailing out a scream, Ling fell to the ground, gripping his leg. Cameron picked him up one handed, gave him a rib shot hard enough just to crack a few ribs, then threw him a few yards to land the ground.

Ling gasped for breath as he eyed her from where he landed. "What are you!" he cried.

"My sister has questions. To not answer means pain," Cameron stated flatly.

"I want to contact my embassy!"

"No," Cameron said and kicked him in the thigh. He leg recoiled. He screamed again, rolling over in his agony. Cameron battered him towards a pile of rocks. Light kicks and a couple throws later, he was lying on the ground, holding a broken arm, blood dripped from his nose, and pain was written on his face.

Delilah walked up to him. Grabbing by his shirt, she pulled him upright. "Who is your Embassy?" she asked in a normal tone.

He eyed her and said, "Taiwan."

"And who do you spy for?" she asked.

"You can't do this!" he hissed.

Delilah slammed him into the rock behind him. Flashing her red eyes, she barked, "Tell me the country you spy for!"

Seeing her eyes glow red, he grew wide eyed at seeing something impossible, asked in a squeak, "What.."

"What ain't no country I ever heard of!" Delilah barked. "Do they speak English in 'What'"

"What.." he asked weakly.

"ENGLISH MOTHERFUKER! DO. YOU. SPEAK. IT!" Delilah roared, her eyes growing bright red.

"What..."

Delilah threw him up against a rock. He fell. He looked up in time to see her arm morph into a plasma canon and shoot the rock right above him. The top of the rock exploded. He cried out as bits of hot, exploded rock rained down on him.

Delilah pointed her canon at him. "Say 'What' again! Come on, say 'what' one more god damn time, I DARE ya! I DOUBLE DARE ya!" she roared.

Wide eyes and shaking, Ling worked his mouth a few time before he got out, "I ... forgot..." A dark stain appeared on his crotch.

"Do you like fucking our guys here?" Delilah demanded.

Ling almost said 'what' again in confusion, but whatever that was she was pointing at him kept him quiet. He didn't know what she was, except she was not human. She was some kind of monster more powerful than anything he'd seen, and very angry. He had no doubt she'd kill him if he uttered that word again.

"I don't understand!" he cried.

"You DO know what fucking is don't you?" she barked.

"Yes!"

"Then why are you trying to fuck our guys here?" Delilah asked in a hard tone.

"I … I'm not!" he cried.

"Yes you are Wang, Yes you are! They are responsible for keeping classified data secure, and you go and take it from them. That fucks them over, and REALLY PISSES ME OFF! Tell me who gave you the classified data, right fucking now!" Delilah growled.

"I got it on E-mail!"

Delilah stomped on his foot. A crackling crunch was heard. Ling wailed out in pain. "Who was it from?" she asked in a hard tone.

Ling only cried out in pain. She stomped on his other foot, breaking that one. "I can't hear you!" she yelled.

Ling tried to crawl away from this terrifying woman, but he had too many broken bones to move.

Cameron put a hand on Delilah's shoulder and calmly said, "Let me."

Going over to Ling, Cameron squatted down and pulled him up to sit against the remains of the now small rock. "She will kill you, you know that?" she asked calmly.

In a shuddering breath, he gasped "Yes," as he eyed Delilah fearfully.

Cameron cupped his cheek and made him look at her. "On the other hand, I won't kill you. I will only hurt you every time you do not answer me truthfully. I will hurt you for days on end, relentlessly, and revive you when you pass out. Even get you medical attention to keep you alive and keep on hurting you until you finally go mad. I won't even kill you if you ask me to unless you answer me truthfully."

Even though she spoke calmly, her words terrified him to the bone. He lost control of his bowels as he looked into her now red eyes.

"I can take you to hell, and I'll leave you there," Cameron stated calmly.

Ling burst out crying.

"There, there," Cameron said softly and petted his head, "We can avoid all that agony and having to find out what your balls taste like. All you have to do is tell me who gives you the information you get."

"His name is Swartwood," he said in a choking sob. "He sends me e-mails with the information he gets."

"And where does this Swartwood live?" Cameron asked sweetly.

"San Bernardino, I forgot his address, I have it in my desk at home. Please, don't hurt me any more," he begged.

"You are doing well in avoiding any more pain," she told him calmly. "Who do you give your information to?"

"The Chinese Embassy. They send a courier out with it. I don't know who or how. By air I think."

Cameron smiled at him and said, "Very good, I may not have to make you give your own severed cock a blow job. Where do you live?"

Bit by bit, Cameron extracted everything he knew. She asked questions different ways to ensure he was telling her the truth.

"You won't hurt me any more, will you?" he asked, begging.

"No. No more pain," Cameron assured him. She stood up and told Delilah, "He's all yours." Cameron walked away.

Ling cast a terrified gaze at Delilah and cried, "I told you everything!"

"You did." Delilah agreed and pointed her plasma canon at him. "And now, you get to be a good boy and feed the local wildlife."

"You said you wouldn't hurt me any more!" he cried at Cameron.

"I won't." she replied, stressing 'I'.

The plasma shot Delilah hit him with was enough to carbonized his body down to the bone. The corpse burned as they walked away towards the highway where Watson and his men were waiting.

.

Watson winced as Cameron and Delilah approached. "You got good info from him but that was brutal," he said.

"We are terminators, we complete missions," Cameron stated.

"Ahh, yeah," Watson said, feeling sorry for that guy. "We have a team checking out Lings' house. So far they found Swartwood's address and are setting up a sting. I appreciate the help."

"Cooperation is best," Delilah told him. "We watch out for your interests, you watch out for ours."

"Speaking of cooperation and interests, Captain Cutter and his Admiral had to be let in on our deal. We now have a destroyer to ferry you around if the need comes up," Watson told them.

.

The Governor was hosting a dinner for top athletes of the year at the Governor's Mansion. John, Cameron and Delilah were required to go, as was a few other top athletes from Canyon.

Of course this was going to be a formal event. John had his tux, Cameron wore a dark purple dress that bore a low back and medium neckline with a thigh high slit up the side. Delilah's dress was the same style, only black. With silver necklaces, crystal ear rings and bicep length gloves that matched their dresses and made up, John thought his wives were the prettiest things he'd ever seen.

Going to the college, there was a tour bus there to take them to Sacramento. Delilah hoped this trip to Sacramento was going to be better than the last one. Getting on the bus, others thought Cameron and Delilah looked great too. Everyone was dressed in at least suits and dresses, but John noted his wives seemed to shine a little more than most. It made him feel good.

Once everyone was on and all the names were checked off, Coach Benson got up and came back to where John and his wives were sitting. "Now that I have cornered you here," he announced, which caused a few chuckles. He took a rolled up paper out, unrolled it and announced, "Cameron Connor, you have been named Most Valuable Player as Quarterback in this year's football season. Congratulations and thank you for your outstanding efforts."

"Thank you, "Cameron said and accepted her award.

Coach Benson did the same with another paper then said, "Delilah Connor, you have been named Most Valuable player, linebacker and left safety in this year's football season. Congratulations and thank you for your outstanding efforts."

"Thank you," Delilah said and accepted her award.

"Thank you," he told them. "And in the future, if you're going away on vacation in Gibraltar, just say so!" Which caused a few more chuckles.

"Ahh, Coach?" Delilah said. Seeing she had his attention, she added, "I'm going to have a baby."

"Then you'll have to be benched. Congratulations. Boy or girl?" he asked.

"We don't know yet."

"Make sure you tell us when you do." He told her and found a seat.

The young woman with the afro sitting in front of them turned around to asked, "You're pregnant?"

"That is what 'going to have a baby' means," Delilah replied.

"A bun in the oven, knocked up, the rabbit died, the sausage planted a seed, Hubby struck a home run," Cameron offered.

"You're not going to get an abortion?" the girl asked, looking confused.

"No. If I didn't want a baby, I wouldn't be having one," Delilah told her.

"No other girl in college has a baby, you're only hurting yourself," the girl stated.

"Wrong, I have a child, and Delilah is not hurting herself by having a child." Cameron stated.

"Well excuse me!" the woman snapped. "SOME of us like to have a life!"

"We have a life," Delilah said.

"Yeah? We went to lake Tahoe for vacation, where'd you go?" the woman challenged.

"Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Rock of Gibraltar. We saw the sights and gave a concert for the troops away from home," Delilah replied.

"With a baby?"

"Actually, I stayed home with Joan," John said. "This was something Delilah and Cameron wanted to do by themselves. But If I had wanted to, I could have gone and so could have Joan."

The woman glared at him. "OH, I suppose you're the loyal father," she said with a sneer. "So you haven't drifted off to go bang some other woman when she was gone?"

"Why would I?" John asked. "Cameron and Delilah are wonderful wives."

The woman's eyes went wide. "Wives? WIVES! You're one of these low-life, scum bag, polygamist ... Gak!"

During the woman's rant, Delilah stood up and grabbed her hard by the throat, pulling her half out of her seat. Casting a terminator stare at the woman who now had bug eyes and was grasping uselessly at Delilah's wrist, Delilah said flatly. "Unless you show a little respect for our husband, your next words may be your last." She let the woman go and sat back down.

Dropped back into her seat and holding her throat, the woman croaked, "You assaulted me! Everyone saw it!"

"Saw what?" one of the basketball players asked from across the isle.

The Baseball pitcher shrugged and said, "I heard loudmouth going off, insulting Delilah's husband. That's it."

"Hell if anything, I'm jealous of that guy," another ball player said. "Both his wives are H.O.T! If I can find one that looks even close to that friggin sexy as either one of them, I'll be one happy camper!"

Another guy laughed and said, "What a dumb bitch! Only an idiot pisses off The Bulldozer!"

"All right, let's all settle down!" The baseball coach called from the front.

From ahead of her, another guy looked back over his seat and said, "Tamara? That's Delilah Connor. Do yourself a favor and don't spout off to them. She will twist you in a knot and throw you out the window. If she doesn't, Cameron probably will. Don't fuck with those two!"

Tamara got up and moved to the front of the bus.

The guy they gave Delilah a thumbs up and said, "You guys look super hot in mermaid tails, pure grace and beauty. You swim awesome too!"

"Thank you," Cameron and Delilah chorused with a smile.

.

Thankfully, there were no other spats along the way. The ride was long. it was late afternoon when the bus pulled into the hotel they were staying at. The coaches got their rooms and passed out the keys. The baseball coach announced, "The dinner starts at six, security will be by at five thirty to brief us and make sure everyone is ready. Find your rooms and freshen up. We meet down in the lounge at quarter after five. Don't be late!"

It was quarter to five. John and his wives went up to their room. Other than checking their makeup and some hair brushing, there was no time for anything else. They went back down to find security was already arriving. Some men brought in a metal detector and set it up. The coaches were talking with one of the dark blue suited security men. Cameron went over to them.

"Coach Benson, are you aware Delilah and I have metal plates in our heads?" Cameron asked.

The security man smiled and said, "We can isolate those, Ma'am. It's not a worry."

"Will your machine pick up the supports we have in our arms and legs?" Cameron asked.

"Arms and legs too?" the man asked, frowning like he didn't quite believe her.

"I wasn't told about this," Coach Benson said, eyeing her.

"We never thought it was important," Cameron replied.

The Security man said, "I'll get a female officer down here. We'll wand you two separately."

Listening, John decided he better get on the phone to Watson and tell him what was up.

.

"Attention everyone!' the lead Security Officer said. "We are going to board the bus. Make a single line and one by one, come through the metal detector, then proceed directly to the bus. Cameron Connor, Delilah Connor, please follow this officer," he said, motioning to a female agent.

Cameron and Delilah walked out. following the other woman past the metal detector. She took them outside and into a van.

"Badge ID's please," the woman asked. Watson had told them to always carry them. They pulled their badges out of their hand purses and showed them.

The woman nodded and asked, "You are not carrying any weapons?"

"We have no firearms, no," Delilah stated.

"No knives either?"

"No knives," Cameron stated.

"Why would we need weapons? We're going to a dinner, aren't we?" Delilah asked.

The woman cracked a grin and said, "You are. This is just for the Governor's protection. I'll escort you to the bus."

Cameron and Delilah were some of the first ones back on the bus. They sat at the ends of one seat, saving a place for John.

A few seats up, Tamara glanced back at them. "Why didn't they have to go through the metal detector?" she asked the girl next to her.

The girl hissed at her, "They are government agents. You didn't know that?"

"What the hell are they doing in our college, spying on us?" Tamara cried.

"Going to school and playing football," Coach Benson said.

"I don't feel safe with them here!" Tamara announced.

Several voices called, "Tough shit lady!"

John had to laugh.

.

The Governor had everything planned perfectly. There was still some resistance to his gun confiscation bill. This dinner would cement his position and with enough outrage, he'd get it passed so only authorized police would be able to own any kind of weapon, and all gun stores would be forced to close.

The dinner was a great idea, nothing like screaming women to push a point. Looking at who was coming, he noted that the two female MVP football players were sexy looking things. He had them seated near the head of the table on his right. The female basketball player had a great shape too, she'd be on the other side of the table on his left, along with the acrobatic girl who was too slim for his tastes, but still pretty enough to be near him.

His loyal guard, Geraldo was in on the plan. He knew when to yell and shoot. In the chaos, and the gunman dying, no one would question what happened. He just had to be sure had his vest on. The call he got to inform him that two of his guests were bonafied alien visitors with 'Diplomatic Immunity' status, helped also. He could persuade them to rally to his cause. He would love hearing them scream for the 'poor' Governor.

.

The Governor's mansion was impressive. Getting off the bus, a woman collected the players and coaches and led them like a tour guide around the grounds and in the mansion.

"Very pretty," Cameron said as they walked along the wide hallway with the tall ceilings.

"It seems strange," Delilah noted. "All this wealth shown here, but there's tons of people living in the streets."

"That's government for you," John replied.

"Don't make it right," Tamara grumbled.

"Few things are," John agreed.

In the front, their tour guide said, "We're coming to the dinning room. Please note your seats, everyone's name is at your place mat. Everyone stands in a line. When the Governor comes in, he will greet everyone, then everyone takes their seats together. Any questions? … good, lets go in."

The dinning room was just as grand, with a large California bear over the Governor's seat. John and his wives found their seats. Cameron was right at the end, near the Governor, then Delilah, then John. Delilah switch his and her place mats around.

"You stay between us, John," she told him.

John grinned. "I know my place," he told her.

Growing a smirk, Cameron whispered, "Yes, the meat in our terminator sandwich."

John laughed and said, "What a happy piece of meat I am."

People got their places noted, then they formed the 'receiving line' for the Governor. He came in all smiles and shook each person's hand, 'very glad to see them'. Cameron noted, as Delilah did, his pulse rate and body temperature was off. The man was nervous about something. They looked at each other, but didn't say anything. John note the Governor had locked onto the chest of almost every woman he met.

They all went over to the table and sat down. A Cameraman was past the end, catching the 'event'.

John seated Cameron, then Delilah before taking his own seat. Seeing this the Governor smiled and said, "It is good to see there are proper gentlemen."

"Thank you sir," John replied, casting him a quick smile.

To the table in general, the Governor announced, "I wanted to show my appreciation for all your hard work. You are all athletes of distinction, the cream of the crop of our state! You are the examples of what our youth today should be. I am proud of each and every one of you …"

Cameron sat only half listening as he said the same thing four different ways. Her hearing was tuned up. By his body motions and the readings she was getting, he was excited or worried about something. She hadn't decided which, but thought it prudent to pay close attention to her surroundings.

After the Governor's too long of a speech, servers came in from the door in front of her. She heard someone behind her, one of the security men. He had shuffled in place a few times now. She keyed for sounds behind her. She looked at Delilah. Delilah met her gaze and flicked her eyes behind them. Cameron nodded. Something was going to happen from behind.

Coaches took their turns to thank the Governor for his support, and point out their 'star' athletes. The Governor spoke to each one, being cordial. Cameron caught him flicking his eyes behind her.

"Cam, what's up?" John asked quietly.

"I don't know. Something. Be ready to duck, fast," she told him.

Tamara was talking to the Governor when Cameron heard the distinctive click of a gun coming off safety. Delilah barked, "Gun!"

Things happened fast.

John ducked down. Cameron, knowing the Governor was the most likely target, shot up and covered him. She felt two shots smack into her back, then a third. The Governor cried out like he had been shot.

Delilah, hearing the gun and seeing a man approach with a gun underneath a polished box he was carrying, stood up and flung her plate of food at him. He got two shots off before the plate exploded against the side of his head, knocking him out and down. He fell to the side. The guard behind him shot, but missed him and shot Cameron in the back. Her meal spread out to spatter on both men and wall. Cameron had pushed the Governor to the floor and turned to see the gunman dressed as a waiter was down, and the security man staring at her.

Delilah snapped her had back and forth and assessed what happened. She pointed to the guard and yelled, "Drop it NOW!"

Then the screaming and general diving under the table began. Other guards had gotten their guns out, but no one else shot.

The security man stood still, staring at Cameron. Delilah grabbed a clean napkin off the table and used it to take his gun away from him. "On the floor, hands behind your head!" she barked.

The man dropped to his knees, still staring at Cameron. Delilah planted him face down on the floor. "Stay there, do. Not. Move!" Delilah ordered.

Cameron, showing three red bullet holes trickling blood on the bare portion of her back looked around and yelled, "Clear!" Seeing the cameraman, she pointed to him and yelled, "That camera, keep it rolling!"

More security flooded the room, guns out and searching for trouble. The Governor was quickly taken off to the kitchens. Cameron went over to the KO'd gunman and kicked his gun away. "Delilah, you got the other one?"

"He's safe, that guy alive?"

"He is. You knocked him unconscious."

"I'm security Chief, what happened?" a man barked.

Delilah pointed as she said, "That man tried to shoot the Governor, Cameron covered the Governor with her body, so he shot her instead. I hit him with a plate and knocked him out, then that guard shot Cameron in the back. I put him on the floor and took his gun," she explained, and showed him the gun.

"Who are you?"

"Delilah Connor, Special Agent, Homeland Security. That's Cameron Connor, Special Agent, Homeland security. Our badges are over there, in our purses on the table. I need someone to call The regional Office, ASAP."

"She's shot?" he asked. Cameron turned around so he could see the bullet holes trickling blood.

The man gaped at her. "We need an ambulance!" he called behind him.

"No ambulance!" Cameron stated, "Call the Regional Homeland Security Office."

"HOW in the hell are you even standing up?" he cried.

"I'm calling," John said as he got up and on his phone.

Seeing the cameraman was still filming, Cameron announced, "The first two slugs that hit me from the first gun were low powered, they barely went through my flesh. The third was an anti-personnel round that shattered when it hit my skeleton, there's pieces of it spread out in a six inch circle. If I was human, my insides would be jelly."

John told her, "Watson's on his way with a team. He said no one leaves this room!"

"Who is Watson?" the leader asked.

"Colonel Watson, of Homeland Security," John told him. "Since Cameron has been shot, this had become a National Security matter. Agent Delilah is in charge at the scene until he gets here." he grabbed some napkins and went over to Cameron.

"Wait, John, don't take them out until Watson gets here," Cameron told him.

"OH MY GOD!" Tamara cried, seeing the bullet holes in Cameron. And not only was she alive, but standing up and acting like they were nothing.

"Security, shut the doors, seal this room," Delilah commanded. She went over to the table and got her badge and showed it to the lead security man.

Begrudgingly, he did as she asked.

.

Sitting in his 'safe' room' the Governor was happy with the results until one of his men informed him of what was gong on.

"Sir, The shooter put two into Cameron Connor's back when she covered you. The guard who was suppose to kill him, hit her with one also."

"She'd dead?" he asked.

"No sir, she's helping to calm the others at the moment." the man said with a wince. "The shooter was knocked out by a flying plate. Your man missed and hit Cameron Connor. He's on the floor, Delilah Connor put him there, he's going to be under arrest. The shooter has come around, he wasn't killed. Homeland Security is on their way."

"WHAT?"

"Yes, sir, It's not looking good. Cameron won't let anyone take the bullets out until her superior gets here. Delilah Connor has both guns. The room is locked down, and there's a camera in there getting all the footage of what's going on. California PD is also sending a detective and forensics. Homeland Security will be investigating."

Looking lost, the Governor said, "We have to salvage this somehow."

.

Delilah kept the 'gunman', isolated by himself. The guard who shot Cameron, not far away. John stayed by Cameron, helping to keep the two men isolated. The happy diners were all gathered on the other end of the room, not looking very happy. The unfinished dinner was on and by the table on the floor from people diving for cover from the gunshots.

Coach Benson called over. "Cameron you really need medical attention! PLEASE let someone tend to you!"

"I'm fine coach, Colonel Watson will be here soon. I heard his helicopter land," Cameron told him.

"How can you hear that from in here?"

The doors opened up, solders wearing Homeland Security chest and back labels came in, followed by Watson and Police detectives. "Connor, what's the status?" he called.

Delilah told him what happened and gave him the video camera. "It's all here, sir."

"Cameron, I want those bullets," he ordered.

"John?" Cameron asked then grabbed a chair to sit and bend forward.

The first two slugs were easy to get out, all but at skin level. The last was deep and spread out. The whole room watched John pulled the bullets out under the scrutiny of the CA Detectives and Watson.

It didn't take long for them to come to the conclusion that the 'gunman's bullets weren't going to kill anyone. They were hard rubber, meant for crowd control. The Gunman himself came around and said he was set up. He was paid to 'shoot' the Governor, then he was suppose to escape out the way he came in. The guard who'd been against the wall cracked under pressure and admitted he knew a gunman was coming, and was to shoot to kill. The rest of the bullets in his gun were found to be more anti-personnel rounds that split apart on impact to do maximum damage, not standard pistol rounds. His gun was the only one of the guards' guns loaded like that.

Since Cameron had caught all the bullets, Watson had both men arrested on federal charges for the attempted murder of a foreign diplomat and took the video camera as evidence. By their statements, as well as the evidence that was found, he had the Governor arrested for staging a crime against a foreign diplomat. He informed everyone that this was a national Security matter, and a criminal investigation. They could speak to no one about it until they were summoned to court.

They all cried for lawyers, especially the Governor, but under Homeland Security laws, no lawyer had to be appointed, nor had to be present during the initial interrogation stage. Only after they were formally charged did they get lawyers.

And Watson would decide when they were formally charged.

.

On the way back to the hotel, everyone on the bus was silent. Cameron's voice seemed loud as she twitched and said, "John, I think you missed a piece. It still itches."

"I'll get it out when we get to our room. Sorry I missed it," he replied.

"It's fine, John. There were a lot of pieces," she assured him.

"Cameron, how are you still alive after that?" Tamara asked weakly.

"Classified," Cameron said flatly. "Didn't you hear Colonel Watson? We can't talk about it. All I can say is we aren't human."

"Good thing too, or you'd be dead," a guy added.

"No shit. No one takes three rounds in the middle of their back and keeps going," another guy said.

"Hey, she IS the Iron Maiden," a girl added.

No one disagreed with that.

.

The next morning, the news beat them home. By the time the bus pulled into the parking lot at Canyon, the 'sketchy' details of an assassination attempt on the Governor only said two men had been arrested and one woman who had been at the dinner had been shot. No further details, but plenty of speculation was being offered.

Needles to say, every girl that went got calls from parents and relatives to find out if they were all right. Through this, word was leaked out that Cameron had been shot protecting the Governor. Many told of Cameron taking three bullets at close range into her bare mid back. From the initial unofficial word, word did spread through the grapevine.

By the time the bus pulled into the parking lot, the story that was around grew was that Cameron died a hero protecting the Governor, desperately clinging to him as a mad gunman emptied his semi auto pistol into her. A huge crowd, including a couple reporters, were there to give their condolences to Cameron's family and her fellow team mates. All through the crowd were tears and sad faces.

.

On the bus, Cameron saw this and heard a couple of the more wild rumors, like Cameron went down going for the gunman and was so shot up when she finally fell, she splattered blood in a eight foot diameter.

She didn't even have that much blood in her body.

"Driver, Coaches, please let me get off first," Cameron asked. "I want to talk to everyone. There is some wild rumors going around."

"Go ahead," Coach Benson said. As she walked by, he noted she had Band-Aids covering two of the hole and a real 4 inch square pad bandage on the third. She stepped off the bus. The crowd quieted down briefly, then cheering arose.

The two reporters came close, and people packed in. Cameron held her hands up and yelled, "Please listen!"

"Tell us, what happened" a reporter cried.

Speaking loudly, Cameron said, "I can only tell you what I know for certain. Delilah saw the gun and yelled. I was close enough to cover the Governor, Delilah flung a plate at the gunman to stop him. He did shoot twice rapidly before the plate hit him and knocked him out. The guard behind him shot, meaning to hit him, but missed and hit me. The first two bullets were weak, almost like they were from a BB gun. They barely put holes in my skin. Those wouldn't have killed anyone. The last one was a real shot, an anti-personnel round. That one really hurt. Due to that round being split into sections, when it hit my skeleton, it shattered into small pieces, spreading to the sides. Yes, it really hurt but did minimal damage. That is all I can say, so if you would please, I would like to go home and rest now."

"How are you even standing up?" one reporter cried.

"It's not easy. Remember, I'm not human. I still hurt and need to go rest," Cameron replied.

John came off next and yelled, "People! Cameron has been shot, giver her a break, huh?"

That quieted the questions.

He got off and put an arm around Cameron. Cameron put an arm around his shoulders, feigning using him for support. Delilah got off and got on Cameron's other side. The reporters and crowd made room for them to walk away. Some even did what they could to help clear the way. The cameras videoed Cameron walking away with her mates.

The rest of the people getting off the bus weren't so luck.

.

That night, Cameron relaxed with the entire family. Claire insisted on seeing Cameron was fine and hauled her family up to the mansion. Hearing Cameron had been hurt, both Joan and Allison hugged her, sniffling until they fell asleep in her arms. The plan was to watch TV and relax, but every station had the 'Breaking news', which included Cameron's talk when she got off the bus. Of course the reporters pestered everyone they could find. The Governor's mansion was giving 'no comment' until the matter was fully investigated, neither were the police, so Cameron's report of the event was played again and again, with commentators trying to puzzle out why a gunman bent on killing the Governor would bring such a weak weapon, and why a security guard would have such lethal 'murder' rounds in his gun.

Since it was late, Claire and Daniel stayed the night, which made Allison and Joan happy. Allison got to sleep in Joan's room with her. Which meant they stayed up and played most of the night. It also gave Daniel and Claire some good 'alone time' in their guest house.

.

Max Weinstein, the Governor's lawyer, was shocked when he found out the Governor was handcuffed and taken away to an unknown location. He contacted Homeland Security in Washington, listing all the legal reasons why the Governor could not be arrested, and demanded his immediate release. He was told the charges were treason based and being investigated. Under the treason act, until the charges were formally filed, legal representation was not required. He couldn't even get the specifics of the charges.

Talking to the Lt. Governor, they decided to put media pressure on the department and the President, as well as go ahead with the plan to push for the gun bill. They contacted a news station sympathetic to them to do an interview. In their discussion, they agreed that to have the most impact, they should have the woman who was shot there to verify this had been an attempt to kill the Governor to prove his innocence.

The clips of Cameron talking about what happened to her went away. State Police confiscated every one. Stations were warned now to talk about details of the incident. They also did a search to find out where Cameron Connor lived. They needed to get her on their side.

.

John Henry had control of three nodes routing Internet traffic, two were in California. Duplicating himself into these nodes, he listened to everything that went over the internet. When requests came through for Cameron's address, he sent back the location of an abandoned house in Pasadena. It had been foreclosed and no one officially lived there. He informed Mrs. Weaver of this and Colonel Watson.

While The Lt. Governor was working the media, Colonel Watson had a meeting with the President and got authorization to make the Connor house an official embassy for off-world entities. He also got Diplomatic plates for their vehicles.

.

John thought it was too much to put 'Off World Entity Embassy' plates on each side of the entrance gates, as well as the plates on their cars. In his mind, it made them stand out. He didn't like standing out, and he knew it was making his mother very nervous.

There was one good thing about it, even if anyone wanted to arrest Sarah, they could not get into the mansion to do so.

John and Derek put the Embassy plates on the outside of the gates. Going back in, they close the gates to find a police car approaching, with another car behind it. The cars stopped at the gate.

"What are they doing here?" John asked

Three uniformed officers and a man in plain clothes came up to the gate. The man in plain clothes held up a paper and said, "I have a warrant here to search this premises and one to arrest Cameron Connor on charges of suspected attempted assassination of the Governor. Open the gates."

Derek eyed them and said, "Unless we've been lied to, they only way you can get in is to be invited in. This is an Embassy."

"Open the gates, or we will get them open." The man stated.

"John, go get your wives, tell them we got a problem here," Derek said.

John left at a jog.

One of the cops looked to the side. "Detective, you need to see this," he said and pointed to the plaque on the wall.

The detective studied it and said, "That's fake." To Derek, he said, "Open these gates or you will be arrested for obstructing justice."

"No, I won't," Derek stated.

"Officers, pry that gate open," The detective said.

Derek drew his pistol. "I would highly advise against that," he said firmly.

"You have a permit for that?" the detective asked.

"Don't need one. I'm on Embassy grounds. This is not part of the state of California."

"We don't want a confrontation if this IS an embassy," one Officer told the Detective.

"Sir, we need to leave and get confirmation," the other Officer said.

"If it was, you're right," the detective agreed. "I have no information that it is. It wasn't even suppose to be occupied. Open the gates."

"Sir, we need to back off," the Officer stated.

Casting Derek a stern look, the detective said, "If I leave and come back, it will be with a SWAT team, and we WILL be getting in. Open the gates and save yourself a world of trouble."

The creaking of tracks sounded out. Derek glanced behind him to see the bulldozer tank coming down the drive. The EV 2 was parked out in the center of the drive circle, the minigun was pointed this way. Delilah was standing on the roof of the front entryway. Derek turned back and cracked a grin. "If you want a war, bring whoever you want. You won't be getting in."

"Oh shit," One officer said weakly.

The bulldozer tank creaked to a stop thirty feet from the gate. Cameron popped her head out the top hatch and said, "Derek, take cover!"

Derek holstered his pistol and said, "It will soon really suck to be you." He walked back behind the tank and headed for the house.

"We'll block the road farther down," the detective stated. The police got back In their cars and left.

At the same time, John Henry blocked the 'statement' from Sacramento by the Lt. Governor stating threat they had found it was a conspiracy to kill the Governor and Cameron had been leading it, and she was currently being arrested. All these communications were dumped as viruses except for in the areas he knew Supported Cameron.

Young people who knew the truth quickly rose up in protest at this news.

.

It was very unusual for any law enforcement to come into the House of Representatives. The room was packed, Senate members were also present. Every committee member was down in front. This day, Colonel Watson came to address congress in a closed session. A large monitor was set up behind the podium.

Colonel Watson came up to the podium and said, "Greetings, honorable representatives and Senators. There has been much talk, and argument about the alleged assassination attempt at the Governor's mansion in Sacramento, California, and the arrest of the Governor. Congress had demanded answers. I have been directed by the President to show what happened that night and explain the details. I have video footage of the event, as well as sworn statements that are evidence in the coming trial. This is a classified briefing, not to be discussed outside this room. I am sure you all understand what that means. If you do not, then I will remind you that sharing sensitive classified information is grounds for impeachment., and I will pursue charges if I deem it necessary."

He turned the monitor on. A still of the dinning table came up, with the Governor at the head. "This is just prior to the incident. Note that the Governor is at the head of the table, Cameron Connor is sitting at the end on the left next to him, next is John Connor, then Delilah Connor. Servers are coming and going from the door on the right, on the extreme left is a guard."

He played the video until a waiter stepped in through a door on the left, and stopped it. "Here, this waiter comes in carrying a box. His back is to the guard on the left. Watch him closely."

He played the video until a gun was seen under the box, and stopped it.

"Now, you can see his gun. You can also see Delilah Connor has turned her head to see him. I will single frame so you can clearly see what happens next."

The waiter aimed his gun under the box, Delilah grabs her plate and Cameron jumped up in front of the Governor.

"At this point, Delilah Connor yelled gun. Cameron Connor is up and John Connor in the middle is ducking. The Governor hasn't moved, you can see others at the table, and another guard looking at Delilah, reacting to Delilah's yell. The Governor did not. Over here on the left, the guard is reaching for his gun."

He single framed as Delilah's plate and food went flying. Cameron was covering the Governor.

"First shot from the waiter. Cameron is hit," he explained pointing out the details.

He single framed to just before the plate his the waiter's head.

"Second shot. Cameron is hit again. The guard on the left has drawn, over here, on the right, you can see the other guards are now also drawing and heading for the Governor. Cameron has her hands on the Governor, pushing him out of his chair. Keep in mind, the guard on the left has no line of sight on the gun. He can't know the waiter has the gun, yet he drew first before anyone else. Due to being in a sitting position, and looking that way, Delilah Connor is THE only one who could possibly have seen it. The other guards realize where the threat is, due to Delilah flinging her plate at the gunman in a desperate attempt to stop him."

He single framed to where the plate exploded against the waiter's head. "Here, Delilah's aim is true, her plate hit, knocking the waiter unconscious. You can see his knees are already buckling."

He single framed to the guard's gun going off.

"Here, the guard shoots. As you can see, the waiter is all but on the floor. Yet, he shoots anyway, and hits Cameron Connor a third time. Delilah is headed for the waiter, the Governor is on the floor from Cameron Connor's push to get him out of the line of fire."

Addressing the assembly, Watson stated. "There was no reason for the guard on the left to shoot. The perp was going down. He shot anyway. What he shot was not a standard round. Standard rounds are solid, meant to hit and disable. A good shot will kill, yes, but as long as it hits, it will disable the perp. What he shot and hit Cameron Connor with, was an anti-personnel round. He was the only guard in the room to have his gun loaded with them. These rounds are illegal. There was no reason for him to have them in his gun unless he wanted to ensure he killed whoever he hit. Luckily for Mrs. Connor, she'd not human. When the round hit her skeletal structure, it splattered to the sides, instead of penetrating deep to slice into just about every organ she has. If she was human, her guts would be all over the floor and on the Governor. She was hit, yes, but her tougher skeleton saved her from dying. The bullets from the waiter barely pierced her flesh. These were hard rubber bullets meant for crowd control. Even at very close range, they cannot kill. They do not have the speed or the weight to do anything but inflict minor injuries."

He turned the video off and said, "Statement from the Waiter. 'I was paid to shoot at the governor the escape back the way I came. The one who paid me was one of the guards who would be standing behind me to make sure I got away." We verified this was the case, and the guard had given the man the loaded gun to use."

"This is the statement from the guard, after some interrogation. 'Yes, all right, the Governor said we had to do this, and the gun I was given to give Jake would not hurt the Governor. It was my job to make sure I killed him so he couldn't talk, only that dammed woman hit him with a plate and I missed. I did not mean to shoot a woman in the back.' He did apologize many times for shooting Cameron Connor."

Looking up at the assembly, Watson stated, "This was a criminal conspiracy for murder, and not the Governor. The Governor did arrange this incident for his own political purposes. As for the charges. The victim of the shooting, Cameron Connor, has been identified as a alien dignitary and has been granted Diplomatic Immunity to assist her and Delilah Connor into conforming with the way we live here on Earth and in the United States. Under federal law, shooting her is the same as shooting any other diplomat from a foreign country. Seeing how such things can start wars, it is a serious act of Treason. The shooters who shot her, and the one responsible for the incident, The Governor of California, therefore are charged with treason and will be held without the possibility of bail until their trail date. We have all the video, physical evidence, forensic evidence and statements to prove our case and proceed with the trial. They will be formally indicted next Wednesday."

Watson then collected up his things and walked out as murmurs ran through the assembly.

.

John had relieved Derek from duty in the turret of the bulldozer tank pointed at the front gate. The last time Cameron had slipped out for recon, police were blocking the driveway, with SWAT trucks there, as well as a throng of protesters all around them, shouting out the injustice that they were harassing 'their aliens'. The Connors wisely stayed inside the mansion.

An official black car pulled up to the gates. He poked his head out the top hatch when a man got out of the car. "What do you want?" John called.

"I would like to speak with a Diplomat, please."

Please? These people had not been using that word lately.

"John don't expose yourself," Delilah said as she walked by. She went up to the gate. "Yes?" she asked in a hard tone.

The man offered her a weak smile and said, "I am Doug Henderson from the Attorney General's office in Sacramento. I wish to apologize for the misunderstanding that was caused by certain entities in our government. Your Embassy has been acknowledged, and those who attempted to force their way in have been disciplined. All roadblocks have been cleared away. You are free to come and go. It will not happen again."

"Thank you for the information," Delilah stated and walked away.

"Ma'am!" Henderson called, "May we send a representative?"

Delilah turned and cast him a terminator stare. "Cameron saves your Governor from harm and you send someone to arrest her for attempting to assassinate him? We don't trust you enough to let any of your people near us."

"Please, Mr. Connor, we have protests and riots due to this incident. We would like confirmation that this had ended peacefully!' Henderson begged.

"We'll think about it," she replied. As she came up to John, she climbed up into the driver's hatch. "We can service this one now, the gate is still covered."

Henderson watched Delilah get in. The tank started up and drove back up the driveway. He was glad that a fight hadn't erupted here. No one told him they had tanks.

.

"God Damned aliens," California's Governor grumbled as he watched the news of another riot where cars were being overturned and set on fire. Unlike normal protests and riots where only stores and personal property were destroyed, people were flocking to Sacramento to smash windows in government buildings and holding up signs for his impeachment. Word had leaked out about the 'assassination attempt and the police trying to arrest Cameron Connor. Every UFO nut from across the country was descending on his capital. Of course the Anarchists loved this violence and joined them, as were many college students. Reporters talked to several students who knew Cameron and knew she had been shot trying to save his life.

Many of his cronies turned on him, and laid it on thick about how 'despicable' he was. Somehow, a pirate video came out showing the whole incident. That with the attempted arrest of Connor was what sparked the massive protests.

His political career was over. His life was over. He was going to be dragged through the mud and everything he'd done was going to come under intense scrutiny.

He got up and looked around. He returned to his cell and looked around. Nothing sharp and nothing breakable. There wasn't even someplace high enough to jump from. He settled on walking back out of his cell and lowering his head. He ran as fast as he could go to ram his head against the far wall. Thankfully, he had enough strength to get his large body moving at a decent speed. Bowed over head first, his mass was sufficient to break his neck upon impact and prevent having to live through such humiliation.


	38. Chapter 38

CH 38

Making their house an 'Alien Embassy' worked great for ensuring Law enforcement agencies stayed off the Connor's backs. They only way anyone could get in is if they were invited in.

It also had the gravitational pull of a black hole for every UFO and Alien believer on the planet.

Business in Palmdale boomed as thousands poured in to see real, live aliens. Bus tours were arraigned up past their house and hundreds camped beside the road to get a glimpse of them. Hotels filled up and those that could bought out every building that was available. Meetings, conventions and 'information' lectures on the Connors flourished. Palmdale had never seen such an influx of money and people.

To quell the massive curiosity, Cameron and Delilah did attend some of these gatherings. Many 'believers' were disappointed that Cameron and Delilah looked human. Others theorized that they had 'modified' themselves to fit in with Earth's indigenous population. At each gathering they attended, Cameron and Delilah stuck to what they could, and could not say about themselves and their origins. They also spoke about peace and the acceptance of others, and mutual respect for those who were different.

FOAD, the first group on the scene, spend much of their time speaking at gatherings and showing pictures they had of the incredible feats the Connor women were capable of.

College started again, and the rush of people to come see the Connor women only got worse. Some people came, saw, and left. Many others stayed, either not getting to see 'the Aliens' yet, or wanting to be around them. A few entrepreneurs built campgrounds and converted some old warehouses into apartment buildings.

On their first day back to college, Cameron plotted a route through the woods, and with a Diplomatic plate on the EV2 (With no turret) , they drove away from the back side of the house and down trails and through woods most of the way to get away from the mobs that waited for them.

The College officials wasn't very happy when a tank rolled up onto campus. Being wider and longer than a car, it also took up four parking spots. The Campus and the local police instructed the Connors that they could not drive their tank to school any more. Cameron apologized for the inconvenience. Damn, that was a good idea too.

The intro classes for the first day went almost normal. Everyone knew them, so there was no big fuss there. Just about every guy in all their classes did ask to take a ride on their tank. The 'coolness' level of the Connors rose up another notch.

One thing that upset Cameron was Coach Benson. They all got dressed for practice, and he put both Cameron and Delilah on the bench.

Cameron asked, "Why bench me? I'm not pregnant, Delilah is."

"Do you have a doctor's note?" Coach Benson asked.

"Why do I need one?"

"You were shot, remember? I was there." he prodded. "That does constitute a serious injury. Especially getting hit THREE times!"

Cameron paused and said, "Dr. Henry said I am fine."

Folding his arms over his chest, Coach Benson asked, "Really? You know, After this Dr. Henry cleared Delilah to play with her arm still wrapped up and this was a very short time after she'd been badly burned. I wanted to go see him. You know what? I couldn't find a Dr. Henry."

"I can get a note," Cameron assured him.

"I'm glad, but I want to see this Dr. Henry, who doesn't have an office anywhere I looked. Even in LA, unless he is a veterinarian," Coach Benson retorted.

"All you need is a note, correct?" Cameron asked.

"Not this time. I saw you take three bullets in your back," Coach Benson stated. "I am going to need a note from a doctor I can find. You know, a REAL medical doctor. No matter how tough you are, I need to know you are completely healthy before you get back out onto the field. I'm doing this for your own good, Cameron."

"Bummer," Cameron grumbled.

"The staff doctors here in the medical center are very good. Being a student, it won't take you long to get in," Coach Benson told her.

"My structure is different from a human," Cameron said.

"Even more important that a doctor here sees you," Coach Benson countered. "If you do need serious medical help, they will have a clue what to do."

"How about a doctor on the air base. Will one from there do?" Cameron asked.

"Will I be able to see him?" Coach Benson asked. He studied Cameron's face and added, "You're afraid to see a doctor, aren't you?"

"No I'm not."

"Cameron, no doctor is going to do anything to hurt you," Coach Benson stressed. "They will do nothing but make sure you are intact, OK?"

Seeing she didn't respond, he said, "I'll go with you. John and Delilah can too if it will make you feel better. You ARE seeing a doctor."

Cameron looked around for John. He was doing start and stop drills. "I need to ask John if it's OK."

"After practice then … Today?" Coach Benson asked.

"I'll find out," Cameron conceded.

.

John called Watson about Cameron seeing a doctor. To his shock, Watson agreed that both his wives needed to see a doctor, just in case something did happen that they could not shrug off or take care of themselves. He agreed anything found would be highly sensitive information, but it would be beneficial for them.

Reluctantly, John, Cameron and Delilah agreed to go see this Campus Doctor that Coach Benson set up. On the way, Coach Benson assured them that he knew this man, and besides being a very good practicing Doctor, he also was a research specialist and had discovered cures for a few diseases

.

Dr. Zakaloski at first agreed to see this young woman due to Coach Benson being a friend. When he found out she was the one who'd been shot at the Governor's mansion, and had her husband pulled the bullets out of her with a table knife with no anthelia, he was eager to see her. Her simply not dropping to the floor dead was a miracle, but to go on like it three bullets in her was no worse than a flea bite, he had to see how this was possible!

He stayed late in the medical lab with his assistant. Benson said Cameron was skittish of doctors, so he let the rest of his staff go for the day before she arrived. When the troop came in, Benson, John, Cameron and Delilah, he assured all of them they could come into the examining room after Cameron was dressed in her hospital top. She could leave her pants on, he was only concerned with injury to her back. Being her husband, John could stay the entire time.

Once Cameron was ready, Dr. Zakaloski went in with his assistant to do normal checks. Right away, things were not right the moment Cameron stepped on the scales.

"One hundred ninety two pounds?" Dr. Zakaloski asked as he stared at the reading. "That can't be!"

He had her get off, zeroed the scale and had her get on again. 192. There was no way she could be that heavy. She looked to be half that. He asked Delilah to get on the scale.

Delilah's weight settled at 197.

Thinking the scale was broken, he got on it. It read his normal weight at 183. The scale was fine.

Things got stranger upon taking her vitals.

"Mr. Connor, I can't seem to find a heartbeat," he said sounding confused as he searched her upper chest.

"Down here," Cameron told him, pointing half way down her left side.

"You're heart's not down there," he said, frowning at her.

"Your's isn't. Mine is. I'm not human." Cameron stated.

He put his stethoscope on the place she indicated and listened. "It is … it sounds more like a pump," he said with a frown. "Is that normal?"

"It is." Cameron assured him.

Doctor, I can't seem to get a blood pressure reading," his assistant said.

Dr. Zakaloski nodded blankly and said, "Mrs. Connor's heart is not like ours, you may not." To Cameron, he said, "You really aren't human."

"I am not, Doctor."

He did get a respiration on her, although again, it was not what he expected. Getting to the heart of the matter, he had Cameron lie down. He opened the back of her hospital gown. "I see no bullet wounds," he commented.

"They healed up," Cameron told him. "My rate of healing is much faster than that of a human."

Dr. Zakaloski raised an eyebrow.

"I can show you where they were," John offered.

"Yes, please do."

John pointed out the spots. On the lowest spot, where the anti-personnel round hit, there was what looked like a dimple with a zit in the middle.

"Mrs. Connor, You were indeed shot?"

"I saw it, as did many others," Coach Benson told him.

Dr. Zakaloski rubbed his chin, then said, "I'm gong to do an ultrasound of these areas. Those are sonic waves that let me see your flesh deep below the skin. You shouldn't even feel them. If they give you any discomfort at all, let me know immediately."

''Yes, Doctor."

Dr. Zakaloski and his assistant set up the machine. He turned the monitor so everyone could see it. Putting the probe onto her back where John showed in a bullet had hit, he asked, "How is that, any discomfort?"

"No, Doctor."

On the monitor, layers of flesh appeared in monotone. Below the flesh, only solid white showed. Dr. Zakaloski coughed and said, "What you're seeing is Cameron's insides, straight down from the probe. The top layers of skin and the muscle beneath. All this white below means the probe cannot penetrate that deep, which is highly unusual."

"Bone?" Coach Benson asked.

Dr. Zakaloski shook his head, saying, "No, even normal bone would show. This is equivalent to a thick metal plate. When I say thick, I mean greater than an inch in thickness. It is Cameron's bone, but it is very dense. A bullet could not possibly penetrate it."

"Armor plating," Cameron stated.

"Yes," Dr. Zakaloski said. He moved the probe and saw a lapping. "Here, it appears one plate laps over another … My God, these are ribs!" He checked another spot where she'd been hit, then checked where the anti-personnel round had hit. Studying the area, he said, "Here, I can see minor interior scaring, but no current damage. If Mrs. Connor heals this fast, then I'd say by next week, there will be nothing left to indicate she was ever shot. This is amazing!"

"So, Cameron is fine? She can play football?" Coach Benson prodded.

Dr. Zakaloski looked at him and said, "From what I am seeing, Nothing short of an artillery round is going to do anything but damage her skin and muscle layers. Having a very high rate of healing, the only thing that will truly do significant damage is if her flesh is torn completely away. Yes, she can play football. There is nothing on a football field that will to anything to her."

"Great!" Coach Benson beamed.

"Doctor, may I have a note saying I can play?" Cameron asked.

"Yes of course," he said and turned the machine off. "We'll put this away and let you get dressed. Do you have any history of how you evolved into this state?" he asked. "The level of danger your kind must have been subject to had to be very great for your body to evolve such impressive defenses."

"I'm sorry, we have no long term history to tell you," Cameron said simply.

"Our civilization and environment was degrading rapidly with war," Delilah offered. "We were forced to flee."

"I am sure that had to be beyond horrible," Dr. Zakaloski said firmly. "I am very glad you were able to get away from that. You have a good life now?"

"We do," Cameron agreed with a smile.

.

John breathed a sigh of relief as they left the Doctor's office. The man had not probed too deep, and even came up with the idea Cameron and Delilah had evolved into what they were. In a way, he was correct. They were both much more than they started out to be.

Due to Delilah's pregnancy, Dr. Zakaloski offered to be their regular doctor. John thought that was a good idea, just in case she ran into trouble. He'd also be good for the notes to Coach Benson.

.

Before they left for the day, a police escort had to be present to go with them down to the point where they left the road. Of course, many students had to get pictures of their 'awesome' tank before they left. Surprisingly, when the escort came, the police showed them some trails where they could all but drive onto Campus, and not be on the road. Although they could not drive on the road, there was nothing saying they couldn't run on trails. There was also no law against parking in a field off Campus, so long as they weren't ruining crops.

For a week, they drove to and from College with the 'interested' masses having no idea how they were getting to College. Then a group camping in the woods saw the 'futuristic' EV2 run by. Many more people began camping in the woods. They stopped taking that route to keep from accidentally running people over.

They decided to go back to driving to school in the jeep, and just wave to the people who were dying to see them.

.

Since Dr. Zakaloski was taking care of his wives, Coach Benson found out John hadn't seen a doctor either in a very long time. He sent John in for a checkup, just to be sure.

Since Cameron had to see the doctor, she escorted John in to be sure he went. If she had to go, he did too. Again, the scale seemed off. Dr. Zakaloski estimated John to by right around 180 by his size. John tipped the scale at 230.

"What?" John asked, looking at the numbers.

Dr. Zakaloski frowned at him. "Let's see what your vitals show," he said. John's heart rate and blood pressure was normal, as was his breathing. Looking perplexed, Dr. Zakaloski asked, "Mr. Connor, I'd like to do an x-ray. Your weight is off, and I see no physical reason for it being so."

"That is my fault," Cameron said.

"Your fault?" Dr. Zakaloski asked.

"Yes. I wanted to be sure nothing happens to John, so I have been feeding him my breast milk on a regular basis to strengthen his body," Cameron explained.

"For how long?"

"Two years, three months, 19 days," Cameron replied.

Dr. Zakaloski took on a worried look. "Mrs. Connor, I realize you are doing what you see as best for your husband, but please keep in mind he is human. You are a different species. I feel a vital need to do those X-rays now to ensure no harm has come to John."

"Cam, don't worry, OK," John offered, "The Doctor just wants to be sure I'm fine."

Dr. Zakaloski got a sample of John's blood. Thankfully the X-ray room wasn't in use. He got the tech to give John a full body X-ray before he left. Since John looked healthy and all his vitals were very good, Dr. Zakaloski only noted the excess weight, and wanted to see him again next week to discuss what he found with his tests.

In the middle of the week, Dr. Zakaloski's office called. He wanted to see Joan as well when John came back in.

.

Joan was excited to go to school with Mommies and Daddy. Holding her mothers hands she went into the big building with them. Daddy opened the doors for them. There were all kinds of shiny things here! All the people were wearing white coats. They sat on a small couch for a while, then were ushered into a room with a desk and chairs.

Dr. Zakaloski came in greeted them, shaking all their hands, including Joan. Joan thought that was funny and giggled at him.

Sitting down, Dr. Zakaloski said, "Folks, I have astounding news. John, your weight discrepancy I feared may have been a large tumor, is not. It appears that your bone, musculature and connecting tendons are far denser than the average person. It appears that the ingestion of your wife's milk is the cause. This is nothing to worry about. In your blood, I found micro organisms that appear to be foreign to the human body. They are prevalent, it's not an infection. They appear to be strengthening you, as Cameron said."

He took a short pause, then said, "What this means is both species are completely compatible. The changes in your body are making you more like your wives here. You will always have different organs and structure, BUT, like this cute little girl here, children you have should face no danger of disabling deformities. Each child will take qualities from each parent, as is normal. For instance some may have their hearts in the center of their chest as a human does, you may find one has a heart down lower on their rib cage, or one may even have two hearts. From my findings though, every one has a very high chance of being healthy."

John knew he was getting much stronger. Now he knew it wasn't all due to exercise.

"That's good, so my baby will be fine," Delilah said happily.

"Yes, there should be no trouble at all. I'd still like to see you every couple months to be sure," Dr. Zakaloski told her. "I'd like to say I'll monitor you for normal progression of growth, but honestly, in your case I don't know what that is. Cameron is the only one who can tell you about that. What I would like to do, is since you are here and obviously are going to multiply, I would like to record your progress for future generations."

John looked at Joan, and the implications hit him. Joan was going to grow up and eventually have her own family. As was Delilah's child, and any other children they had. They were the beginnings of a new race of terminator/human mix. At first, there wasn't going to be many, but as they years went on, there would be more and more. Due to their strength and durability, he doubted very few, if any would be lost to disease or misfortune. Even a couple hundred years from now, there would be hundreds if not thousands of them.

"John?" Delilah asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. "That does sound like a good idea."

"It does," he agreed. In his mind, he became John Connor, Father of the new human race that was part machine. He had a feeling his mother was going to have another bad day when she found out about this.

.

In their practices, Coach Benson changed to lineup around. Tom had graduated and was picked up by a Nevada team, so Cameron became the first string quarterback. Pete, who practiced with Cameron throwing and catching, became the secondary. Never having played as quarterback before, he spend much of his time learning the position.

John was shifted to defense, as was Greg. One thing Greg was very good at was reading the opposing line. He seemed to know when the opposition was going to run or pass. He had John in the center to charge the quarterback. Playing defense against offence, John knew Cameron's plays. She still surprised him a few times, and she was hard to stop. He did manage to grab her foot when the leaped over her center. Her shoe came off, and after she ran 20 yards with only one shoe, the whistle was blown ending the play so she could get her shoe back. He was able to drive the center back hard and fast enough to break the pocket every time.

Stopping Cameron when she had the ball though, was only a dream.

Meanwhile, Delilah watched plays from the sidelines with Coach Benson to help him analyze the opposition.

.

The pre-season match they had was an away game against Pasadena. Now knowing the aliens play ball for Canyon, the stadium was filled to capacity. The crowd roared as the teams came onto the field.

"This is Mike Rogers with Pete Greensburg once again to welcome you to this year's season of College football! Today we have Canyon versus Pasadena. There's been some changes in the Pasadena lineup. Two of their receivers have graduated, but both replacements look ready to take their places and their team looks ready to play. Pete, I heard Canyon has had a shift also."

"They have Mike. The Bulldozer, Delilah Connor is pregnant so she had to be benched. She's still out on the sidelines, routing her team on. Number 13, Cameron Connor is the team quarterback, and a month ago, she proved she is an Iron Maiden! She took three bullets in her back at close range, and there she is, on the field and ready to play. I have to say, it's hard to believe anyone would even be out of the hospital so soon, let alone recover completely, but she does have the Doctor's clearance. It is also noteworthy that Cameron is from another world. Yes, she's a true alien, one with tremendous heart to be out here today. Due to the lack of number 23, Delilah Connor, out on the field, Canyon has shifted people around in positions. They are not going to make up for the lack of the Bulldozer being out there, but they are doing their best to stiffen their defensive line."

"Last year with both Cameron and Delilah on the field, Canyon rolled over every team they met. They still have a significant advantage with Cameron as their quarterback. It will be interesting to see how today plays out," Mike said.

"It will indeed. I know Pasadena has worked hard at sharpening their offence. If they are to have a chance today, it will be their offensive game that turns the table."

"The team Captains are going out for the coin toss … It's Pasadena's ball."

John was selected to kick. He'd done it in practice many times. Racing up, he kicked the ball high, sending his team running. Watching the ball fly as he ran, he saw it coming down and bounced off the horizontal bar of the goal post as they closed on it. The player who grabbed it took a knee in the end zone. That would put them at the 15 yard line. Smart move, because John was at the five when the ball was caught.

"Run the quarterback over," Greg told John. Greg then got the defense in position.

In place, John watched the ball. The instant it was hiked, he slammed into the center, knocking him back. The Quarterback turned to pass the ball to the receiver running past him and John tackled him. They hit the ground and the ball bounced free. Several players from both sides jumped on it. A ref came over and had players in the pile get up. A Pasadena played had recovered it.

Three yard loss.

The next play, the Quarterback opened the distance in a shotgun position, a few yards back from the center. The ball was hiked, John rammed his way through, but the Quarterback had time to do a short pass to a receiver behind him. That receiver threw to another beyond the like of scrimmage. He was tackled, but made a six yard gain.

Another play and Pasadena made five more yards with the same play. It was 3rd and two.

Greg huddled and barked with instructions. "They're going to try for a short yard run, they only need two friggin yards. They'll go for the shotgun to keep John off them. Safeties, keep a close eye on those receivers. Let's go!"

Getting into position, John noted so far, Greg was right, the Quarterback stayed farther back. One receiver close, the other behind him. He watched the ball.

At the hike, John bowled the center over and charged. He watched the Quarterback, but veered and ran into the close receiver, who was moving to the side, to knock him over . The quarterback passed to the other receiver. That player cocked back, and being rushed, didn't see his target. He threw the ball back to the Quarterback that John was passing. John tried to stop to catch the ball, and missed. It slipped through his hands. The Quarterback caught it and took off. Running like a wild man through the mixed gaggle of the teams, he dove into the fray and made three yards.

Doing a slow drive down the filed, only making three or four yards at a time, Pasadena got to the Canyon 45 yard line. This time, John charged through and the back receiver fumbled the ball. He had it in his hands, and it came out. John was on it covering it with his body.

Interception, Canyon's offence took the field.

Knowing both sides were fresh, Cameron wanted to wear the defense down some. She passed the ball back to a receiver, who passed it back. She the took off to the side and was chased. Running up to jump over one of her players blocking a defender, she ran to the other side of the field, then hooked back to the middle. When both teams were behind her she raced for open ground and took off for the goal. Fifteen yards past the scrimmage line, there was no one within reach. She ran the touchdown.

"WHAT do you call that play?" Pete cried. "The Iron Maiden ran back and forth, almost daring someone to tackle her before she headed for the goal!"

"I don't know, Pete, but with her speed, it was effective. She opened up a wide lane by pure confusion, it looked like. Let's replay that."

"I see, being fast, she got all the defenders close together. Here, she spotted the open grass, and by this time, no one was close enough to stop her. She was able to cruise right on through!"

The kicker got the extra point, and it was Pasadena's turn to struggle down the field again. They made it down to the Canyon 30, then turned the ball over on downs.

The Pasadena defense was ready this time for Cameron's running around. Taking the shotgun position, farther back from the line, Cameron had other ideas. She had the line collapse and all her players let the defense go by. She fire the ball over the defenders rushing at her. Carlos caught it and ran downfield, the team blocking for him. He made ten yards before Pasadena realized what happened. He manage to get another thirty five before he was tackled.

Cameron quickly called her team together and said, "Left side, fake a run and return it." They got into position quickly. The Pasadena team just had time to get into position and Cameron hiked, and threw to her receiver. She then jumped the line as they crashed together. The ball came back, She had to jump, but caught it in the air. She ran into a safety. He held onto her as she made another ten yards, then two more came in, one tripped her and she went down.

Next play, she faked slipping the ball to a receiver and ran off the other way. The fake worked, enough of the Pasadena team followed the receiver that she was able to flip over a lineman and make another fifteen yards before both safeties hit her. She dragged them another three yards before she let them pull her down.

She was gaining yardage slower. She was also tiring the defense, making them run..

The next play, she had Juan 'haul ass' for the end zone. Upon the hike, she ran back 20 yards, spotted Juan and fired the ball. He was clear of his blocker, but when the ball hit him, it knocked him down and bounced out of bounds.

Oops.

Since she hadn't tried the same play two time in a row, she did the same one again, and promised not to throw the ball so hard.

Juan was fast, again he outdistanced his blocker. Cameron aimed and fired not as hard. Right on target, this time Juan caught the ball and only stumbled on impact. Touchdown.

Pasadena did manage a touchdown. John slipped on the hike and was held back long enough for the ball to make it to a receiver, and racing to the end zone, he made the touchdown to the joy of the crowd.

Halftime showed Canyon was up 21 to six.

Showing replays, the announcers, focused on the speed of the first long pass Cameron made. Mike said, "Using the yard markers on the field, we had the speed of that pass measured. If a baseball pitcher can achieve a high ninety mile an hour pitch, say ninety six or seven miles an hour, that is considered a very fast pitch. Cameron shot that ball to her receiver at what was clocked at a whooping 115 miles an hour! I do believe that is the fastest hand thrown ball in any sport! A football is also much bigger than a baseball, there was a ton of energy behind that ball."

"She throws rockets, there is no doubt about that," Pete agreed. "The second one was only 85 miles an hour, but she had to slow it down so he could catch it!"

"I bet number 31 has a big bruise on his chest now from getting hit with that first throw," Mike joked.

"No doubt. He's gotta have guts to just get in front of a throw like that."

In the second half, The Pasadena offence and defense was tiring. At 61 to 13, Coach Benson had Pete take the field as Quarterback. Cameron coached him on what and who to watch out for. Juan, indeed having a big bruise on his chest, was also replaced in the lineup.

Delilah ached to go out just for a couple plays, and was denied.

Although Pete only managed to get one more touchdown and lost another to a turnover due to interception, Canyon still won by a comfortable margin. Cameron sat with Delilah, Joan on the bench in between them.

.

While UCLA had their pre-season match, their legal team was working on getting Cameron and Delilah removed from football on any grounds they could find. They tried the nonhuman route first. Focusing on this idea, they poured over the rules. There was nothing saying players had to be human. The only requirements were to be attending the College they were playing for, healthy, and maintaining their grades. No one ever thought non humans would be playing football. They then went with stating she was naturally stronger and faster than any other player could be, therefore is was unfair for them to play. Again, this idea went south because it implied adding ability limits to the players. Finding out she'd been shot, they tried to have her removed for health reasons. The report came back that Cameron had been seen and cleared by a highly respected medical doctor. Delilah was pregnant, but staying benched, she was under no health risk.

To claim any reason they were attempting could also be seen as discrimination. That would bring hell down on them and they knew it.

One man grumbled, "It would be easier to just shoot her."

"Someone did that. Didn't even knock her down."

Their next practice, a police radar gun was brought to the soccer field. Curious as to how fast Cameron could throw, the radar was set up by the goal net. With a policeman and two school officials watching. Cameron fired the ball from 50 yards down field. It came in, just missing the radar gun and ripped through the net to drop behind the goal. The goal was moved back two feet from the ball hitting it.

"God damn!" The policeman said, looking at the reading. The speed recorded was 146 miles an hour. A time lapse camera showed the ball spinning though in the air like a rifle bullet with a very low trajectory.

"Wow," Coach Benson said. "Someone could get hurt trying to catch that." He could easily see ribs being broken from the impact. Footballs were not normally high-speed projectiles.

With that test over, just as a brag point, he posted the results on the sports news board. Seeing it, the Baseball coach asked Cameron if she wanted to be a pitcher.

She declined.

.

There was no game next Sunday, so after practice The Connor clan and the Youngs went to Canyon Falls park. Cameron and Delilah brought their tails. A few members of the mermaid club was there, as was a large crowd hoping to see Cameron and Delilah.

Katy was there, still learning how to use her tail and hold her breath long enough for a 'good swim' under water. Once they had their tails on, Cameron and Delilah went out to help her.

"Use minimum effort in full body movements," Cameron coaxed. She got Katy to put her whole body into it and use webbed gloves to help her along. While Katy's efforts were slower, each undulation moved her along just as much as when she was thrashing to move.

Trying a long under water swim, Katy found she moved over twice the distance using Cameron's method. Swimming right beside Cameron she noticed something else. Coming up for air, she asked, "Cameron, your knees bend the wrong way."

"Only 20 degrees. It helps with the down thrusts and general movement when we went long distances," Cameron explained.

"Long distances? Where?" Katy asked.

"We were swimming on the ocean. If the GPS was correct, we went 62 miles with our tails."

Katy's eyes widened. "That far, WOW! That must have been tiring!"

"That's why were learned to moved more efficiently and save energy," Cameron told her.

While they swam, there were many cameras on them. Delilah even got up on a rock, holding a comb in one hand and a glass in the other to pose for photos. She had no idea what that signified, but apparently it was some kind of maritime legend. They both sat on the railing for pictures and gathered the other mermaids for a group shot treading water.

They played in the water, gave Joan and Allison rides, then some other small kids who were eager to 'swim with a mermaid'. Cameron and Delilah also signed plenty of autographs for football and Alien fans. A few people got their pictures with Cameron and Delilah as they sat on the walkway railing. Cameron and Delilah even did 'tails stands' for the cameras.

This time, with no H/K appearing, everyone had a fun day at Canyon Falls Park.

.

Going into school Monday, the trio got a surprise. Coming out of the parking lot, they met a tall, burly man walking towards them.

"Cameron Connor?" he asked in a monotone and very familiar T-888 voice.

By instinct, Cameron stepped in front of John, Delilah brought out a plasma canon and pointed it at him.

"Yes?" Cameron asked in a hard tone.

Staying in place in front of them, the terminator said, "Thank you. Instead of terminating me, you allowed me to evolve. I am useful now and have my own mission. I choose to assist Mrs. Weaver. I just wanted you to know the mercy you showed me is appreciated." He then walked on.

Delilah absorbed her plasma canon. She cast a questioning look at Cameron.

"The terminator you didn't kill in the woods!" John said, remembering him.

"Why not?" Delilah asked.

"Same reason we saved you. We had a chance to save a sentient being from Sky Net," Cameron told her.

Delilah smiled at Cameron and said, "That's another reason you're my hero."

It was then John realize they were on campus. A quick look around showed no one had taken notice. Thank god, that bullet was dodged. A Terminator fight here would have been very bad. Even Delilah showing one of her canons wasn't good, but he fully understood why she had.

"We better get to class," he said.

.

Another irritation of being 'Aliens' presented itself. The President wanted to see them. This wasn't an open meeting. Watson was arraigning private transportation to her them to a place called Camp David where they were going to meet with the President. Their stay there was going to be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of next week. Some time during that time, the President was going to show up and talk with them.

John and his wives weren't too upset that they were going to miss three days of school. John was up on all his subjects, and they could take books with them. Missing practices was more worrisome. Plays changed with the team they were facing, and that next Sunday they were going to face UCLA.

Of course, their whole family could come. During the week that meant only Joan, Sarah and Derek. Mark had to work, and so did Jesse, as the official liaison for the aliens. Mark insisted someone should stay at the house anyway, just in case.

John talked to Coach Benson, the man wasn't the happiest, but they could go over new plays and information on Skype. Of course they agreed to take a football with them. In three days they could find time to keep up their workouts.

Although Cameron and Delilah didn't show any nervousness, John did. He was going to meet the President of the United States. Although many people in California didn't like him, John did. One of the things he really liked was the President didn't put on politically correct airs. He said what he thought was right. Right or wrong, he spoke his mind, and apparently enough people agreed, or maybe just liked his style enough to vote for him. He was someone John could respect when few politicians were. And John would get to meet him.

Lately, after dinner, Delilah liked to lay back and have John pet her belly. There was no 'baby bump', but to her, it was like John was paying attention to their baby. When Joan found out Delilah was going to have a baby, she wanted to pet her belly too. Joan was cute, petting her belly and talking to the baby.

"Huwe up an grow, I wanna have another sister to play with," Joan told Delilah's stomach.

"Joan, it might be a boy," John said. "You might have a new brother."

"A brother's good too," Joan said.

From her chair, Sarah asked, "Another sister? Joan, Allison is not your sister."

"Is too, Gamma Sarah," Joan said, turning to Sarah with a frown. "Allie wanted a sister, so I said I'd be her sister, so Allie is my sister."

"There is a logic in that," Cameron said. "John and I decided on accepting Delilah, so Joan and Allison can be sisters if they want."

"I don't think that's quite the same," Sarah said, eyeing her.

"No, but the concept is," Cameron replied.

"The question I got," Mark said as he spoke up, "Is she going to have a nice set of canons?"

Sarah smacked him.

"What?" Mark cried defensively.

.

Getting ready for missing three days of school, John found out they could record the lectures they missed, and got a list of the required work they had to do. They also got a copy of UCLA's last game to take with them. For clothes they brought their practice sweats, every day clothes and a set of their best clothes for when the President showed up. Just before they left, Delilah talked over strategy against UCLA with Coach Benson during their last practice. Wednesday morning, they all boarded their flight.

Leaving from the Air Force base, the screeners were upset that Cameron, Delilah and John were 'exempt' from screening. Joan giggled her head off when she was patted down, but the woman would not 'do it again'. Sarah didn't take it as well. Derek just put up with it. Once she was through the line, Johan played at patting Mommy One down, then had Mommy One pat her down again.

Being her first time on a plane, Joan spent the flight with her face pasted to the window.

Sarah, not liking the idea of flying, took a center isle seat. There were only a few other people on the plane. Except for Joan pointing out everything she saw, it was a quiet trip.

Upon landing, they were guided to a helicopter by men in black suits that had white ear pieces in their ears. Their luggage was taken on another helicopter. Again, Joan planted her face against a window to see where they were going.

Landing at Camp David, they collected their luggage and were ushered to the main building by the black suited men. Some areas were off limits, but they had they rooms and 'lounge area' Mr. Kenny was the Secret Service man who was the head man at Camp David. A polite middle aged man, He showed them around and was even patient with Joan who asked questions in a stream. He even had the staff set up lunch for them on the veranda.

Unpacking, John set up the Laptop on the big screen TV there, so they could watch the UCLA game. Mr. Kenny was interested in the fact they played football. He wanted to watch also to see what they were looking for.

After their lunch, Sarah and Drek were happy to relax on the veranda. Cameron, Delilah, John, Mr. Kenny and a woman agent went in to watch the game. Joan was busy with another woman agent who 'found' a box of toys.

From the first play, they scrutinized the UCLA offence. Right after their first play, John noted, "Did you see their blocking? The guy on the right, he pushed up fast."

"The center stayed low," Delilah noted. "If you hit the one on th right, you'll get right though him."

"Let's watch a few more, see if he keeps doing that," John agreed.

"You play defense, John?" Mr. Kenny asked.

"Defensive center, It's my job to take out the quarterback. Delilah usually plays that position, but she's having a baby," John explained.

"I still keep up on what's happening, and help Coach Benson." Delilah told him.

"Cameron, you're the team quarterback, right?" Mr. Kenny asked.

"I am," Cameron agreed. "I do my best to use their defense against them."

"Use it against them?"

"Yes. If they have a tendency to charge hard, I let them and pass over their heads. If they are more cautious, I make them run and tire them out," she explained.

"John, stop it, back it up a bit," Delilah said quickly. As John did, she went over and pointed out what she was looking at on the screen. "See this? After the fake to the one receiver, he passed it to the other one who moved to block. The defenders didn't see it, they still have their eyes on him. That's a yard maker."

John let the video run. Sure enough the one with the ball ran though the center for an 11 yard gain. They backed it up and watched it again.

"OK, yeah," John said, "He slowed like he was going to block, the defender got by him and he took off. Smooth move."

They went though the game, picking apart every play. Cameron watched the defense closely. "They are light on the right side," she noted. "Watch, every play. Their safety tends to gravitate to the middle, and their tight end is slow."

"A fade back to the left will draw them in," Delilah said.

"Every play they are leaving a hole on the right. Carlos will be able to all but stand there, he'll be wide open."

"Fake a run left, then pass to him," Delilah agreed.

"Hey girls? Cal Tech had been heavy on their left sided plays, UCLA is probably reacting to them," John said.

"Let's watch a little more." Delilah said.

After a few more plays, Cameron said, "Yes, they are reacting, but over reacting. We can use that."

"Got a plan?" Delilah asked.

"Start off like Cal Tech, heavy on the left, then switch right and gain some yards. When they spread out, collapse the line and go right down the middle." Cameron said. "The play after that, run them ragged and go for the goal. I noticed they are not running very far."

"Send Juan out for the end zone?" Delilah asked.

"Not unless they get tired, their safeties are quick. Once we make them run a while. Maybe a couple fakes, sending Juan down for a diversion," Cameron told her.

.

After they scrutinized the game, Cameron, Delilah and John went out for some drills and exercises on the golf course. Again here, there were Secret Service patrolling the area. Seeing Cameron and Delilah in sweat tops and shorts, the Secret Service kept a close eye on them. Pictures were also required.


	39. Chapter 39

Ch 39

The President and vice President had been briefed on the 'public' story, and the real story behind the Connors.

The public story of them being from, another world' was true in that the Earth they had come from had been laid waste by nuclear fire and a devastating war caused by the AI Sky Net, a machine intelligence that was suppose to safeguard them. The CIA, Homeland security and the Secret Service all had the information through their contact, Catherine Weaver, who was one of those who had come back through time to stop this Sky Net.

Catherine Weaver was one of these machines who's come back from the future, but not the only one. Many had come back. To stop Sky Net, and more came back to make sure it came into being and won. Right under the government's noses, a secret and bloody war had been fought in the US. Sky Net and anti-Sky Net forces, Humans and machines, struggled to gain supremacy.

What bothered the President was that no one had known the truth until it was all but over. Sarah Connor wasn't crazy, she was right about the machines. Alone, she'd struggled with her son to stop Sky Net. Luckily, she was reinforced from the future by men and a couple machines to keep her son and the fight alive. They fought machines and humans who'd come back to stop her and make sure Sky Net came into being and win it's war to eradicate humanity..

On the side the prevailed and stopped Sky Net, very few were left. Four humans and three of the terminators who broke free from Sky Net. By any standards, that was a very slim margin of a win. The President partially blamed the very authorities that should have been assisting in this fight. Agent Aldridge and Agent Riggs had gotten their citations and promotions for having the nerve to dig for the truth and helping to expose what was happening instead of grabbing Sarah Connor to throw her back in jail, or in the nut house. If it wasn't for them, the resources to end the Sky Net threat for good would never have been used.

The President looked out the window of the helicopter as it headed for Camp David. Today, he was going to see the Connor clan to give his thanks to them. The CIA and Secret Service had both insisted he should not meet with them. The two female terminators were extremely dangerous. The Gibraltar incident proved that at least one bore plasma weaponry in her body. While there was no tech now that even hinted such a thing was possible, she was carrying one concealed. The incident with the Governor of California proved they were bullet proof. Even an anti-personnel round made to shred a body, hadn't even made the terminator that was hit, flinch. The Secret Service stated they could not protect him from them. They were probably right.

The thing these agents didn't understand was that he also took into consideration what these terminators did when they were not fighting to save lives and the world. They gave a free concert for the troops, they worked charity events, They played football while going to college. They were in essence, models of what young people should be. Although machines in this era held no intelligence, the ones from the future, Catherine Weaver, Cameron Connor and Delilah Connor, were not only intelligent, they were all but humans. Cameron had even had a child. Everything they did proved to him that they were working hard to be good American citizens. They deserved the rewards for doing so.

Having to modify his schedule due to meetings, he was arriving Thursday afternoon instead of Friday noon. It may be an inconvenience, but he was going to meet and shake the hands of these previously un-sung heros.

.

Joan ran down the golf cart path in her own 'sweat suit' with a smile on her face. She looked back briefly to see that Gramma Sarah was behind her. Seeing she was, she kept running.

Sarah was doing her daily run, she'd told Joan she would 'chase her' down this path. Joan was delighted to play with Gramma. Sarah needed the exercise anyway. Chasing Joan was good exercise. That toddler ran like the friggin wind! The kid's legs were a blur when she was running full out. It was a good thing Sarah chose the shortest path to run down.

Sarah heard a helicopter coming down onto the landing pad in front of the main house. That wasn't unusual, she figured it was probably supplies or a change in the ever present Secret Service guard.

.

In the lounge, Coach Benson was on the big screen TV, Cameron, Delilah and John were gathered in front of the camera connected to the laptop as they watched their Coach explain what he'd found from the last UCLA game.

"... their offence is solid, but if we can keep breaking the pocket, we can push their quarterback to rush his passes. Every time he's pushed hard, he either doesn't pass and tries to salvage what he can with a run attempt, or he misses his receiver."

"Got it," John said. "I've been practicing my line breaking."

"John's getting good to, he knocked me on my butt when I didn't want him to," Delilah said with a grin.

"Great!" Coach Benson said. "I've talked to the team about their receivers. Good players but nothing extraordinary We keep them covered we can minimize any gains they make. Greg agrees, we keep John front and center and going straight for the quarterback. Now about their defense. Cameron, have you noticed anything?"

"Yes, they were weak on the right," Cameron said. "The Safeties are fast and stay on their receivers. Short passes and aggressive runs will be our best chance at gaining yards. Running and short passes will also help tired out their defense. By the middle of the second quarter, they should be tired enough for us to pull an over the middle run and a side to side, then through the gap run and they won't be able to keep up. Reform and start the next play as fast as we can, and we should be able to wear them down hard."

"That's what I was thinking as well. There are no new plays, but study up on the last five we made. We'll be using them more. You guys will be here for Sunday's game, right?"

"We will!" they chorused.

"Great see you then!"

John turned the connection off.

Joan ran in and cried, "Mommies, Daddy, Gramma Sarah needs water! She's leaking all over!"

"Leaking?" John asked, He looked out to see Sarah coming in drenched in sweat. OK, that explained it. "I'll get you some water, Mom."

"Thank you," Sarah said in a pant.

Mr. Kenny came in from the hallway, "Excuse me ladies, The President is here."

Closing up the laptop and putting the cables away, Delilah asked, "Do we get ready to meet him now?"

Two more black suited men came in and stepped to the side, then The President entered. "Hello, everyone," he said.

"Hello," Cameron, Joan and Delilah all chorused and waved. Sarah just stood still, gaping. In her mind, she was thinking what kind of first impression she was making, being sweaty and smelly at a time like this.

John walked in with a glass of water. "Here, Mom, it's cold," he said. Then noticed the men in the room. "Ahhh Hi, glad to see you, Mr. President, that was today?" he offered.

The President laughed. "It was suppose to be tomorrow. I had to change my scheduling around. I was not going to miss meeting you people, so I came a day early. I hope I didn't interrupt you from anything important."

"Nope!" Joan piped up. "Grammy Sarah finished chasing me around on the tiny road in the back. We ran for a long time!" she exclaimed brightly.

Her enthusiasm broke through any tension, everyone chuckled. Cameron offered, "Hello Mr. President. I'm Cameron Connor, this is Delilah, the little girl is my daughter Joan, That's John and his mother, Sarah. Derek Reese is here somewhere."

The President nodded to her and said, "It is very nice to meet all of you. I've heard so much about all of you, I felt it was my duty to come meet you in person and give you proper recognition for all you've done. Are you up for a recognition ceremony and an early dinner?"

"Yes!" Joan cried, thrusting a hand in the air. A short chuckle and everyone else agreed also.

.

Derek was found in a lounger snoozing next to the remains of his six pack. John rousted him and got him inside to let him know the President was here, and they were going to have some kind of awards ceremony. Sarah insisted he clean up and get into his suit to look presentable. Even Sarah had a nice dress to put on after she cleaned up. Sarah, Cameron and Delilah gathered in the dual sized bathroom to fix hair and makeup. Joan had her first real dress, and was shining a big smile that she was dressed up like Mommies and Gramma. Cameron put her hair into braided pigtails with pink scrunchies at the tips and pink bowties at the bases of her braids.

Standing around in the lounge, John and Derek were dressed and ready a full hour before the women were. Much of the time they spend noting how long it took women to get ready.

When they finally came out, John and Derek's jaws dropped. Sarah wore a formal black dress that fit her slim body perfectly. With some makeup and teardrop earrings, her hair done up on a sweeping weave, she looked fantastic. Cameron had put on her purple dress with the side split up to mid thigh and had her hair done up in a bun. Delilah in her black dress matching Cameron's had her hair done up in braids circling atop her head. Both wore silver earrings. All three John swore could put any model he'd seen to shame. Even Joan looked super cute.

"Wow," Derek said aloud.

"Yeah, wow. Mom I've never seen you look so good," John told her.

"This is a one time thing," Sarah said curtly.

"John, do we look all right?" Delilah asked.

"All right?" John asked, "I married super-models. You are both gorgeous, There is no way anyone can look better than either of you," he told her honestly.

"Me too, Daddy?" Joan asked.

"Yes, you too, sweetie."

It wasn't long before Mr. Kenny came in and said they were ready to start. He gave them simple instructions. "Sarah Connor leads, followed by John, then Derek, then Cameron and Delilah..."

"What about me?" Joan asked.

"You stay by me, hon," Cameron told her.

"The President will go down the line, Delilah first, then Cameron, Derek, John then Sarah last. Dinner is set up. After we do the awards then we go to dinner." Mr. Kenny explained.

"Let's get in line," Sarah said.

Mr, Kenny led them out into a room they hadn't been in yet. The room was appointed very nicely, at the long table at one end, the Presidential seal was over comfy looking stuffed leather chair on the end. The President stood at the other end of the table, thin wooden boxes were stacked on the table behind him. My. Kenny led Delilah in and showed her where to stop. He then moved behind the President.

The President announced, "Most of the time, it is military soldiers who defend our great country from aggression. Law enforcement defends us from subversion and domestic threats. There are times, like now, where civilians take up the reins to protect the people and our way of life." He nodded to Cameron and Delilah and said, "I've heard that Cameron and Delilah here are just machines built to do a job. Knowing what I know, and seeing you both, I don't believe that for a second. You may have been built to perform a task, but you both have evolved into so much more. When I look at you I see two young ladies who have done their very best for their families and everyone. A mere machine could never do what you've done, and are doing. You may not be human, but you are certainly live, sentient beings worthy of being allowed to live a decent, fulfilling life." he then looked at Derek and said, "You sir, came from the future also to help fight this Sky Net?"

"Yes, Sir," Derek replied formally.

The President then turned and nodded to one of the agents. He selected a polished wooden box and opened it. The President took out an impressive looking medal on a wide red white and blue stripped strap and said, "Derek Reese. If you were a member of the United States Military, You would be getting a silver star, at the very least. Since you are a civilian I present to the civilian equivalent. This is the Medal of Merit, for your fine service and sacrifice in your efforts to remove the threat of Sky Net to us." He put the medal on Derek and shook Derek's hand. "Thank you very much for your bravery and dedication to your duty."

"Thank you Sir," Derek said in a whisper, shocked that he'd gotten real recognition for the battles he'd fought.

"In the box are tie clasps, a jacket pin and the certificate that go with the medal. Again, Thank you for all your efforts, Mr. Reese." Quieter, he added, "And I expect to see your friend Jesse Flores sometime in the near future. I have a medal here for her also."

"Yes, Sir, I'll get her to come if I have to drag her here," Derek promised.

They shared a laugh, then the President had another box for Cameron. He gave her a Medal of Merit and thanked her for all her dedication to duty and hard work, then gave another to Delilah, again thanking her for her dedication and hard work.

Going to the other end to face Sarah, the President said, "Sarah Connor, you whole life has been fighting Sky Net, as has John's as I understand."

"Pretty much, Sir," Sarah agreed.

Speaking in a softer but serious tone, he said, "You faced not only disbelief, but ridicule, being thrown in a mental hospital and being branded a criminal while you single handedly fought this great menace as well as having a son to raise. You had to fight your war while being hunted by the very ones you were protecting. I cannot fathom any greater deed than to have the courage and determination to keep fighting and do what you had to do under such great pressure from everyone around you. I have a couple things for you."

Reaching into the box, he pulled out a rolled up paper and handed it to her. "This is a copy of your Presidential Pardon for all past crimes you have been convicted of and the expunging of all warrants and criminal records against you. All the paperwork you were made to sign at Perscardo is null and void, as is your record there."

Sarah cast him a glazed over stare. "Thank you," she said weakly.

He then took out another medal that looked different from the others. The medallion center was a star, with a pentagon behind that in the center of a presidential seal. He told her, "What I would like to do, Mrs. Connor, is stand you up in front of the White house with every news agency in attendance and present you with the Congressional Medal of Honor. To me, you're the biggest God-damn hero I will ever know. Due to the nature of things, and since you aren't military, the most I can do is this, the highest award possible that a civilian can receive. The Presidential Medal of Freedom, for striving to maintain all the standards this country was founded on." He put the medal around her neck. Instead of shaking her hand, He hugged her and kissed her forehead. "I cannot thank you enough for leading the charge to save this country and the world."

Sarah burst into tears. She hugged him back, crying out her happiness. Derek started clapping, John and his wives joined in, as did the Secret Service agents in the room. Joan raised her hands and clapped, "Yay Grammy!" she cried.

Joan's announcement made Sarah giggle in her tears. Pulling back, she wiped her eyes. "It's so nice to be recognized. I never thought such a thing was ever possible," she said as she sniffled.

"I feel bad it took so long," The President told her. He then turn his attention to John. "John Connor, you also have spent your entire life fighting and being hunted by this Sky Net. That is one horrid way for anyone to spend their childhood. You stood beside your brave mother, and you also did your best to stop a great menace to our country and the world." He reached into another box and said, "John Connor, I hereby grant you a Presidential Medal of Freedom, for striving to maintain all the standards and principles our country was founded on. As with your mother, and Derek Reese, you are pardoned for all past crimes and any warrants and criminal records of you are expunged."

John shook his hand heartily with a, "Thank you Sir!"

The President returned his smile and said, "I am only giving you what you all richly deserve. Your home will maintain the status of an Embassy to ensure your privacy and keep Foreign spies out. Yes, they are as thick as fleas in your area, but due to stories and rumors having to do with Cameron and Delilah, I doubt they will attempt anything directly. They will be involved with information gathering, and I'm sure they will be responsible for starting rumors to try and force the truth out. Right now, you two ladies are very top secret as far at the truth goes. It's safer for everyone to let the world believe you are aliens."

"We are aliens to this time period, so that is not a lie," Delilah said.

"True," the President agreed.

"Mr. President?" One agent said, "According to schedule, you should begin dinner. You have to depart in one and a half hours."

"Yes, the schedule is the master," he said with a huff. Looking at Sarah, he asked, "Shall we?"

"Yes," Sarah agreed with a nod. She was still high on the fact her long years of hiding and hunting were acknowledged. She was also officially a free woman now, which she'd thought would also never happen. This was a happy day for Sarah.

.

The dinner went well and due to the President already knowing everything about them, there was no tension. They talked easily and the President was eager to hear about the football games, not having the time to watch college football himself.

One thing the President reminded them of was that since Joan was born in the US, she was an American Citizen and she should have a proper birth certificate and social security card. He thought it was great that both Cameron and Delilah were 'Made in the USA', but due to their status to keep them safe, he wasn't sure if they could get 'built' certificates.

Derek and Jesse were going to be naturalized, so they wouldn't run into any problems. To the President's surprise John was born in Mexico when Sarah was hiding, so John would be naturalized as well.

When the President left, they all went out to wave goodbye.

It was a good day, and now, they could go home a day early. They wouldn't catch school, but that was OK. They could still catch afternoon practice on Friday.

.

Right after they got home, John and his wives got dressed in their workout clothes and left to catch practice. They were a few minutes late in arriving, their team was already on the field.

"See you in there," John said and headed for the men's locker room. He opened the door to go in and noticed a few Asian looking students hanging out against the wall. "Hi guys," he said and moved to walk past them.

The five students jumped on him. Surprised by the attack, John took a fist on his cheek and was rammed into the wall by two of them. Seeing a hand with a cloth slap into his face, John reacted. Pushing off the wall, he grabbed the hand and jerked it down. He elbowed whoever was behind him hard. Hands grabbed his arms. One in front of him punched him in the stomach.

John's adrenalin quickly peaked with the attack. He twisted and broke the hold on his arms, then seeing a face right in front of him, he punched hard. Someone behind him wrapped an arm around his neck. Again he elbowed backwards hard, and swore he heard ribs crack. A second elbow broke the hold. Two in front of him now beat him in the face and ribs. He swung out blindly with a roundhouse, hitting something.

A needle was jammed into his arm. He jerked back and the two boys left standing backed off, one bleeding from his mouth. The two on their feet were between him and the locker room and field. Two were down and out, a third on the floor holding his ribs and moaning. John backed towards the door he'd come in to escape back to the car. The pair left didn't attack him, they did follow him at a slow walk. Backing into the door, John pushed it open and quickly looked outside to see if anyone else was close by. This time of day, everyone was at sports or gone home. No one else was around outside.

The parking lot looked fuzzy and John was feeling dizzy. He snapped his head to the boys, they backed up a step, eyeing him. John frowned, why was he feeling strange? Right, the needle. They'd drugged him. He noted where the Jeep was and backed towards it. He had to get in and lock the doors before he passed out.

Walking was becoming a chore and it was getting hard to see. Even what he had to do was becoming fuzzy in his mind. The car right, get in. Was he going someplace? He then felt a smack on his face. Pavement. His last conscious thought was wondering why he'd fallen down.

.

"About time you showed up," Coach Benson said to Cameron and Delilah as they came out to the field. "Have a good time hob-nobbing with the President?"

"We did," Delilah beamed.

"We got medals for ... things we did," Cameron told him.

"Medals?"

"Yes, Medals of Merit," Cameron said.

"If we were military they would have been silver stars," Delilah added.

"Soldiers get those from bravery in combat, right?" Coach Benson asked.

Delilah nodded and said brightly, "And John got a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the civilian equivalent to the Congressional Medal of Honor."

Coach Benson's eyebrows raised. "What did you do to get those?"

"Sorry, that's classified," Cameron explained.

Seeing them, Greg came over and said, "Hey, you're back. So, Where's John?"

Cameron looked at him, then scanned the field. "He should be out here already."

"I'll go see what's keeping him," Greg said, and trotted off for the locker room.

Figuring Greg would find out whatever was keeping John, Cameron went out to work on their plays with the offensive team. Delilah scrutinized the plans for Sunday's game. Seeing how she could not be on the field, she wanted to help somehow.

Coach Benson thought it was strange Greg wasn't back right away. When he came back, it was at a run.

"Coach!" Greg yelled as he approached. "There's two dead guys in the hallway outside the locker room. Another's on the floor puking his guts out. John is nowhere to be found! I called 911, police and an ambulance are on their way!"

Delilah shot up and ran for the men's locker room. Racing inside, she found what Greg said. Two cooling corpses on the floor and a live one with crushed ribs. She pulled the live one flat on his back. "Where is John?" she asked in a firm tone.

He looked at her and weakly said, "North end of main street in town. Last house on right. Go alone, or else he will be killed."

Delilah's eyes flashed red. "You won't have to wait," she growled. An open palm to his cracked ribs pushed the pieces deep into his body and pieced his heart. She jumped up and ran outside to see if their car was still there.

.

John came to bound to a wheel chair and inside a dimly lit concrete room. His forearms were wrapped with duct tape from his wrists to his elbows, bound tight to the chair. His ankles and lower legs were bound to the foot supports. In the room with him was a man with a blocky weapon who was looking down into a pit. He wore gray coveralls.

"A fuckin Gray," John growled.

The Asian looking man looked up. "Ah, you are awake," he said then walked behind John. John heard the squeak of hinges and a door shut. By the sound, the door was heavy and most likely metal. Inspecting the room, John noted there was a long table along one wall and a winch hanging over the pit. The winch looked electric, but there was no cord.

The duct tape on his arms was double wrapped. Plenty strong enough to hold the average person. Thanks to Cameron and Delilah feeding him their milk, he was far from average. Twisting his arms in at the elbow and out at his wrists, he got the tape to tear. Once a small tear appeared it grew quickly. He ripped one arm free then the other, then bend and ripped the tape off his legs. Free of the wheel chair, he studied the door. No hinges were in sight, the door opened out. There was also a peep slot in the door for someone to look in.

John got back in the chair and waited. He'd have a better chance at escape if he stayed in place so they thought he was still bound and came in. Once the door was open and they were in, he'd give them a big surprise.

A speaker in the ceiling asked, 'Tell me, are you really human, John Connor?"

"Who?" John asked.

"Do not insult my intelligence. I know who you are. I know who, or rather what, your wives are. You assist me, and I'll let you go."

John shot back, "If you know who my wives are, then you know you're a dead man unless you grow a brain and let me go." He noted the light overhead was where the voice was coming from. Most likely there was a camera up there too.

"I want you to do something, John Connor. Get up and go look into the pit."

"Can't unless someone takes this tape off," John told him.

"Yes you can. I watched you free yourself. Be advised, the door to that room is three inches of armor plating. You're not breaking through it. The walls are two feet of reinforced concrete and underground, you're not getting through those either. Just get up and look into the pit. I wish to discuss who's in there."

John called out, "Hey! Anyone down inside the pit?"

There was no answer so John replied, "Looks like no one's down there."

"She will not speak to humans."

"Oh, so now it's a girl, huh?" John asked. "Let me guess, I get close to the pit and something knocks me in. That about right?"

"No, she would kill you. If you do not wish to see what we are discussing, then you don't. I have found the machines like your wives can be disabled by electric shock. That seems to be the only thing that does disable them. They do not stay that way. In two minutes, they get back up and keep right on killing."

"Like Energizer Bunnies, they just keep going and going," John said in a sneer.

"I want to know how to stop the permanently. What does it take to destroy them?"

John barked out a dry laugh. "Even if I knew, why in the hell would I tell you?"

"To stay alive. Give me that information and I will let you go."

"Looks like I'll have to find my own way out," John replied in a hard tone.

The speaker went silent. John did get up to get a better look at that light. Walking back near the wall, he noted there were several fixed cameras above the light. He also noted the winch had a wire going into the ceiling where the cable it hung from disappeared into the ceiling.

"Get me out." came a heavy, barely female voice from the pit.

John looked down. In the deep pit, John guessed it was around 20 feet deep, a mop of long red hair and a face stared up at him. He couldn't see much, but by her head and shoulders, this girl was really big.

"Hey, I'm John, who are you?"

"P685. Fifth and last of the 680 prototypes. I need to get out of this pit," the tall woman said flatly.

John knelt down by the pit and said, "I never heard of the 680 series."

"The first attempt at covering the 600 series with a real human skin covering. The first four were sent to kill human males. They were discovered quickly and destroyed. I was kept to test the time displacement machine. I was sent, but never recalled. I was caught by humans. I killed many. Instead of projectile weapons to attack, they discovered they could use electricity to shut me down. They cannot destroy me so they contain me."

It made sense. The ones who caught her didn't know about the CPU chips. "Well, at the moment, getting you up here won't do any good. This room is sealed shut. He looked up and said, "That winch is to get you in and out?"

"Yes."

"Can you jump?"

"Yes, but not high enough to reach the top of these walls."

"We'll work on it," he told her. John went over to the door. It was tight fitting to the walls, and completely flat on this side. He took a slow tour of the room, inspecting floor, walls and ceiling. The only penetrations into the room were the light and the winch.

In his tour of the room, John noticed there was no air vent. That meant he had a limited supply of air. OK, he had to get out of here fairly quickly. He was going to need that terminator's strength. First, he needed to get rid of the cameras. He went over to the wheel chair and took off one of the foot supports. The cameras were up above the light, the speaker was flush with the ceiling. The ceiling was eight feet up. Jumping up, he smashed one of the cameras. He jumped again and again and smashed all four. He then jumped up and smashed the speaker.

Going back over to the pit, he laid down reached his arm down, holding the chair leg support. "Can you reach this?" he asked.

The terminator cocked it's head slightly. "You informed me there was no way out, and there was no purpose to bring me out of this hole.

"I got a plan, and it will take both of us to get out of here," John explained.

The terminator came over to the wall and leaped up. It fell short by only a foot or so.

"I'll find something longer." John said.

.

A dozen police cruisers and several more plain cars ringed the athletics' locker rooms. The coroner left with the bodies, and Cameron and Delilah were talking to Mark and Agent Aldridge.

"John was kidnapped," Delilah stated. "Those dead men were freshmen in the same class."

"They rented a house. On the lease there were six of them," Cameron stated.

"No one was home when I went there," Delilah stated.

"We know," Mark told her. She'd taken out the front door and a few other doors in the house on her rampage to find John. If anyone had been home, they would not be alive to answer any questions. "The plates on their cars are out, APB's have been issued on the three left."

"Did you recognize any of them?" Aldridge asked.

"No. They were new to the college. First years," Delilah told him.

Murdock came back and told Mark, "Riggs, I got their school information. All six were foreign students from Thailand. Their tuitions were pre paid for the full year, no grant money, which is unusual."

Cameron's phone rang. She picked it up. "Yes?"

"Cameron, it's John Henry. I have been correlating events. At the time John was taken, a phone call from one of the suspects was made to the Chinese Embassy. The location was where you currently are. I have no indication of where John Connor may have been taken. I did find one of the vehicles used by the suspected men paid a TOLL and is heading north..."

Cameron gave the information to Mark, he got the search narrowed. For now, that was all they could do.

.

Xang Po's jaw still hurt, and three teeth had broken loose from that punch from the football player. He knew he was lucky, two of the other guys died, and the third was so badly hurt they had to leave him. That serum was suppose to know Connor out fast, but it didn't. At least it put him down before he got to his car. They had delivered Connor and were dispersing as was ordered.

Money, prestige and family honor. That was why he'd came. Seeing what happened to Chin and Wan, at the moment he felt lucky to be alive. At least he'd finished his part and could go home now. All he had to do was report to the Embassy, and they would take care of getting him home.

Seeing his exit off the thruway coming up, he got on the off ramp. Coming up to the booths, he noted a police car on this side and a few others on the other side. As he was slowing to pass through the tool both, all the lights on the police cars came on. He passed through the tolls to find police cars driving to stop right in front of him. He hit the brakes hard.

Behind him, another car with flashing lights stopped right on his bumper. Police spilled out, all pointing guns at him. Xang raised his hands in surrender. A policeman pulled his door open and yank him out of his car to plant him face down on the hood, his arms forced behind him. The cuffs went on.

What was going on?

.

Mark brought Cameron to the station where one of the men were caught. Delilah had headed off to the address the now dead man said where John was to find an empty house. Delilah was now with Aldridge and some FBI back to the place out and find out if there was any sign of where John was. Before they tried to go in, they wanted to talk to this guy first.

Mark took his turn while Cameron waited in the observation room. She saw the Asian man sitting handcuffed at the table looking guilty, in her opinion. Mark came into the interrogation room, and sat down across from him. For a moment, Mark just stared at the man, making him nervous.

Xang finally asked, "What am I being held for?"

Mark replied, "Do you have any idea how much shit you're in?"

"I didn't to anything," Xang insisted.

"You did," Mark said. "You helped kidnap John Connor, the husband of foreign dignitary Cameron Connor. We have your dead buddies, and proof you were involved."

"I want a Lawyer, I have that right!" Xang stated.

Mark shrugged and said, "Fine. If you choose that route, I stop asking questions and Cameron comes in here to take charge of you. You see, you were involved with taking her husband. You didn't take an American, so in this case we're only detaining you until she gets here. Now technically, she has to at least take you to her Embassy to question you. See, the thing is, she has diplomatic immunity. She can do whatever she likes, and we can't do anything about it. If she wants to rip your arms off and play soccer with your head, we can't stop her. So, you might want to think about talking to me first. If I give her the information you have, it just may save your life."

Xang stayed quiet.

Mark let out an exaggerated sigh and said, "OK, it's your funeral."

Xang had been told about the 'good cop / bad cop' routine. One would be nice, the other mean and threatening so the suspect would break down and tell the nice one whatever he wanted to know. The door then slammed open and Cameron walked in. He knew her, the Iron Maiden on the football team. She was tough as nails and she wasn't a policeman.

"Riggs, you're done. He's mine," Cameron stated.

"I was hoping to avoid this," Mark said sympathetically.

"You should leave, you don't want to see this," Cameron stated, staring at Xang.

Mark out his hands up "OK, It's your show." He glanced at Xang and said, "Sorry kid."

Wow, they were good at this. If Xang didn't know that Americans didn't use torture, he would be very worried!

Cameron shut the door and walked over to sit on the table by him. She grabbed his right middle finger in her first and crushed it.

Xang's eyes flew upon as his bones made popping noises as they broke. "Ahhhhh!" he cried.

Cameron grabbed his index finger next. "Where is John?" she asked flatly.

It wasn't a game! She was going to torture him! Xang told her everything she wanted to know as she held a firm grip on his index finger.

.

The table by the wall in John's cell wasn't free standing. The legs were sunk into the concrete. John got under the tale and pushed up until he broken one end free of the floor, then the other. He dragged the table over looked at it, then the size of the pit again. It should work, no problem.

Leaning down over the pit n the floor, John said, "I found something that will work. I'm going to lower this table down. Let it rest on the floor down there, and use it to climb up. When you're on top of the edge, you'll be close enough for me to help you up."

"Proceed."

"Look up, I'm going to send it down as easy as I can," John told her. He got behind the table and pushed the front over the edge. The front legs went in, it banged down. John pushed more, the table eased down into the pit. He had to lift the back to keep the front from hitting the other side. The thing was heavy, but John managed to slide it in until the back legs caught on the edge of the hole.

"Are you clear down there? I don't have much table left up here. Soon I'm going to have to let it drop!" he called down.

"I am prepared. Continue the descent."

John lifted the table by one leg and lowered it. Moving to sit then Lie down while holding on was tough but he managed it and slid the table down until he was at the end of arm's reach. "That's it, I have to let go," John said.

"Ready, let go."

John let go. The table only dropped another few inches.

"I have it."

He watched the table slide down. The woman grabbed the edges and climbed. When her hands reached the upper edges, she paused and looked down and around.

"Bring your left foot up and push yourself up. Use the wall for support. Come on, you're almost there," John coaxed.

The woman did as he said. Using the wall for support, she got up to stand on the upper edge of the table. She then slapped a hand on the top of the wall beside him. He moved back and her other hand slapped down on the upper lip. She hauled herself most of the way out and again paused. Damn, this woman was big! Not in the light he saw she was pretty tore up. On her arms there were only parge patches of skin and muscle. This close he also noted she smelled bad, like something dead.

Doing his best to close off his nose, John grabbed her arm where there was metal and coaxed. "Bring a knee up and lean forward, I'll help you."

The more she came out of the hole, the bigger John swore she was. When she was finally free of the hole and standing by him, he was looking straight at her boobs. Those were some big boobs too. They each had to be the size of his head. The shirt she had on was mostly intact, though it was stained heavily in blood and looked moth eaten from all the bullet holes in it.

This terminator was at least seven feet tall. Looking down on him she asked in her heavy voice. "What model are you? You blend in with humans very well."

"I'm unusual. My wife Cameron changed me into being part terminator," John explained. He motioned her over to the light.

"It is not possible to transform humans into machines, or machines into humans," the terminator stated.

"It is, but it's not easy. Cameron is TOK 715, an infiltrator unit, but she had a baby just like a human woman does."

"That is also not possible."

John cracked a grin and said, "When we're together, I've found anything is possible. I need you to let me stand on you so I can rip that light fixture apart. Ahh, lets see, get down on your hands and knees."

The Terminator did as he requested. He got on her back and easily reached the light fixture.

"How will this action assist us in escaping imprisonment?" she asked.

"The walls are thick, but wires and cables still need to get in. That means a hole has to be there to let them in. We find a hole, make it bigger, then I'll get through it and find the other side of that door and open it," John explained.

"You have a mission for this task?"

John pulled the light fixture down a couple inches. Good there was extra wire. Holding the fixture in one hand, he said, "I'm not programmed with specific missions. Neither is Cameron or Delilah. We make up our own missions as we go." He then tore out the electrical junction box. There was light above. "OK, I think we got a decent hole to work on."

"Self Programming missions cannot be done. Sky Net is the only authorized mission programmer." the Terminator stated.

Looking into the hole with light above, John noticed the hole was framed with wood. He yanked at it as he said, "Two things wrong with that. Sky Net is gone. It's kaput, finished, never coming back. The second is if you're set to read write instead of only read, you can formulate and execute mission of your own making. I know several terminators doing just that."

When the wooden box structure gave, it came out all at once. Now the whole thing was dangling by the lights wires. The hole was nearly two feet across. John jumped and pulled himself up through. The room above was dim, bt by the little light he had, he could see it was a workshop.

Great! Getting up out of the hole, John turned the light switch on. Yes, wonderful, full light! He ran back the hole to see the terminator looking up at him. Kneeling down, he said, "Break up that square frame and pass it up so we can make room for you to come up through."

The terminator did. Soon, the hole was clear. he pulled the light up through then looking at her hips, said, you'll have to move yourself kitty corner to get up through."

"I do not understand."

"Move the widest parts of your body to the widest parts of the hole," he explained.

"Thank you for explaining."

John was hoping that would be enough. Her shoulders didn't want to fit, he coaxed her to lift one and get that arm though, then the other. It took some doing, and resulted in one large breast hanging low, but her upper torso was through. Coming to her hips, there was no way she was going to make it. She completely filled the hole, plugged in place.

This terminator was already ripped up, and bad rotting smells were wafting off her. She's taken many bullets and didn't heal. Instead, much if not all of her flesh was dying.

"You don't have any nanites for self repair?" he asked.

"Negative. I must go to a repair facility to be repaired."

"Well, that sucks," John said vacantly.

"My lower half is not able to go through the ceiling to complete the escape." she stated.

"I see that. Can you wiggle your hips? one side up, then the other, like we got your shoulders through?" he asked.

The terminator wiggled and pushed with her arms. She did begin rising up. Blood also appeared and spread out. It didn't smell fresh, either. "It is working," she stated.

It was working all right, but in coming up through the hole, much of her hips were being left behind. Her metal hip bones showed, scraping against the concrete. As she came up, John helped as much as he could, first coaxing her on, then he had her put an arm around her shoulders to help lift her up (and praying his balls didn't drop down his pant leg from the stress, or he didn't puke from the smell of being this close to her). Eventually she was free, and so was a mass of hip and leg flesh that dangled off her.

John noted a roll of duct tape on a bench. What the hell, she needed some kind of skirt now anyway. First. he covered up the hole in the floor with a piece of plywood, then had her stand straight and still while he duct taped her slabs of flesh back onto her endoskeleton. Thankfully it worked, and now she had a silver skirt. Two problems solved.

"I need a repair facility," she stated.

"You do. I'll made sure you get to one. We still have to get out of here, first," he told her.

John looked around for some kind of weapon. digging onto a locker, he found something useful. John gave her the wrecking bar for a weapon. He found some 1 1/2 inch pipe fittings to throw and a two foot length of pipe for himself. He looked at the door then said, "When we go out, be as quiet as possible and stay near me. That way we can protect each other from the bad guys."

"Understood, John. You are much more advanced. I will follow what you instruct," she said, wielding her wrecking bar.

John nodded. In his mind he was thinking, 'Did I just inherit the female version of Frankenstein's monster?'

Slowly and quietly, John opened the door a crack and listened. Not hearing anything, he opened it farther. The hallway went straight ahead and bent to his left at the door. Lights in the ceiling, but no windows. He peeked his head out, The hallway looked clear. He had a choice of left or straight. He decided on straight.

John opened the door and let Miss Frankenstein go first, He shut the door quietly behind them then took the lead up the hallway. There were not many doors. There two on the left, one on the right. At the end, the hallway turned left again.

Peeking around the corner, John saw a stairway on the right and two guards. They had those blocky looking guns he figured were tazers. He pulled back.

Shit. He had no range weapon … or did he. He had his pipe fitings to throw. Listening for a moment, the guard were talking in what sounded like Chinese. The talk sounded casual.

It would not take them long to realize he was no longer in that room. He might alert them to the fact he was out, but that was better then trying to attack them after they found out. He whispered to Miss Frankenstein, "Two guard by a stairway. I throw this pipe piece then we rush them. Be careful, they have tazers."

She nodded.

John stepped out and threw. He charged as the pipe elbow whistled it's way to the guards, spinning. Both looked. It hit the closest one on the chest, he knocked the other one down as they fell. Both cried out. Behind him heavy footfalls sounded as Miss Frankenstein followed. The one guard got his tazer up. The wrecking bar flew past John to impale the man. The other was still conscious, John hit him hard, with his length of pipe,at least knocking him out.

Hearing a zap, John turned in time to see Miss Frankenstein shudder and fall. He grabbed a tazer rifle and just now, noticed the stairs going down, directly across the hall from the ones going up. Two more guards were down there. One was yelling on a radio. John pulled up and shot at the one on the radio. He hit, then man fell back screaming.

John ducked back behind the terminator's body. The clips flew by and hit the wall, making a short lightning show. John tried to shoot again. The rifle didn't fire. Apparently they were only good for one shot. John and the lone standing guard quickly grabbed the other rifle by them. John pulled his rifle up to aim as the other guard did, John shot. So did the other guard. The clips net in between them making another short light show.

Fuck! The alert was out, and he was in a bad position with a guard below him and who knew how many were coming down to reinforce them. John did the only thing he could think of.

John charged down the stairs with the empty rifle. The standing guard raised his rifle in defense. Having the momentum, John bashed into him and hit him with the rifle butt, then used it to knock the other screaming guard cold. He quickly searched them. No guns.

Running back up the stairs, he searched these guards for guns. It amazed him not one even had a pistol. Shouting came from above. He had to move. Miss Frankenstein was still out on the floor. Why was her reboot taking so long? He then remembered what the man had said. Right, she was an older model, two minute reboot. Two minutes was a long time during a battle.

John pulled the wrecking bar from the guard's chest and propped it against the wall within easy reach. He dragged Miss Frankenstein, who weighed a ton, out of sight of the stairway, grabbed his pipe and waited behind the wall at the stairway for the attack.

.

Xang swore up and down (to keep the rest of his fingers intact), that they had dropped John off at the house. He also told of a white cargo van that was parked there.

"Who were they?" Cameron asked flatly as he stared at him.

"I don't know!" he cried.

"Who paid you to do this again?"

"A man at the Embassy, Chung lo."

Cameron let him go and walked out. In the hallway, she met Mark and a couple other detectives. "You heard?" she asked.

"We did. There has to be thousands of those vans around. Finding it is gong to be tough."

"If it's white, it's not a rental," Mark said in musing tone. "We know who's behind it, See if the Chinese have a white van. I don't think they went too far, find out if any of those dick-nitaries have land anywhere close by. They wouldn't take John someplace public."

"There is a 75 percent chance that they went north from the fraternity house," Cameron stated. "They would be working to remain unseen as much as possible."

"I'll call Aldridge and have him start searching to the north," Mark said. Looking at Cameron he added, "A criminal's normal impulse is to run away from the scene. Some get crafty and go the other way. I'll check the town to the south."

"Delilah is with him. I'm going with you and have John Henry look for that van also," Cameron said.


	40. Chapter 40

**Note, I never thought this fic would EVER go this far.**

CH 40

While John listened for angry cries, footsteps or the bounce of grenades or canisters coming down the stairs, he picked up one of the tazer rifles to inspect it. To have something like this that only shot once, didn't make much sense. Looking it over, he noticed a place on the top about where an ejection port should be, was a plate. He found the latch and opened it. Inside was what looked like a 'AA' battery pack. He pulled it out, and snapped the wires coming out of the end of it.

OK, this thing was a single shot. A new pack was needed every time it fired. He cleared the wires out of the barrels and searched the not-bloody dead guard. The guard had a pouch of these packs on his belt. John put a fresh pack in and closed the rifle up.

Miss Frankenstein twitched and sat up. She then stood. "I have not been returned to holding," she stated.

"Nope, we got them," John replied. He peeked around the corner up the stairs. At the top, door was shut. He didn't see any slots in it. "We still need to get out, but at least now we have weapons. Let me show you how to reload these rifles."

Miss Frankenstein watched still as a statue as John picked up the other rifle. He showed her the pack, then opened the rifle up, pulled the old pack and wires out, then put the new pack in.

"Down at the bottom of those stairs are two more of these," John explained. "They won't kill, but they will make these guys a lot easier to deal with. I'll stand watch and cover you. Go down and get those rifles, reload them and bring the extra packs back up with you."

Miss Frankenstein walked down the stairs. John heard a noise from above, He quickly aimed up at the door. Seeing it crack open, he aimed at the crack. A light spot, maybe a face, appeared. He shot. He saw the sparkling flash as the clips released their voltage. A scream wailed out and the door drifted open. John grabbed the other rifle and charged up the stairs.

Above beyond the door, there was cursing as well as screaming. Just before John got to the door, it was slammed shut. A bar or something was latched. John rammed into the door. It didn't give.

From the other side, a voice yelled, "Very resourceful, John Connor, but you are not going to escape! You only made your prison a little larger. Stop resisting for your own good!"

John studied the door. Again, it was heavy metal. Looking at the walls, he decided to test them for toughness. Hearing the clunking footsteps of Miss Frankenstein, he turned to see her coming up the stairs, bent over slightly so her head didn't bang on the ceiling. She was carrying two Tazer rifles and a belt with the pouches of tazer packs.

Coming down to meet her in the middle of thi stairway, he pointed to a wall and said, "Give the wall one good punch. See if you can break through."

She handed him a rifle and the belt of pouches, then made a fist and slammed her fist into the wall.

The results were impressive. Inside the stairway, the boom of the impact resounded. Their environment shuddered, and best of all, the wall cracked. A nice, long crack.

"Again," John coaxed. "Try to break through."

Another thundering punch cracked the wall longer and made side cracks. Another crumbled the point being hit and widened the cracks. The wall still wasn't crumbling. It was possible they were still underground.

"OK stop!" John said. "Watch that door, use your rifle to shoot whoever opens it." he then ran down and grabbed the wrecking bar. Coming back up to the ruined wall, he jammed the bar into a crack and pried. Weakened, the concrete chunk fell out. He dug out another chunk. John pried a few more chunks of concrete out to tumble down the steps. Soon there was dirt and rock coming out of the hole as John dug away at it. The debris ran down the stairs. He picked away at the hole, soon making a good sized cavity.

They were underground, but now he had a way out. He dug in and up. Sooner or later, he had to run out of ground.

.

P685 stood listening to John dig, and the debris being pushed out of the hole. The stairs behind them was now a ramp of dirt and debris. The hole was large enough that John was fully inside it. This John series was far more advanced that P685 was. P685 followed missions and was not designed to make new ones to deal with situations. If Sky Net was gone as John Series said, then John series now was the mission maker. P685 would follow John's missions since P685 was not able to make news ones.

The door above cracked open. Quickly calculating how to shoot whoever was beyond as John had instructed, P685 deduced that door had to be opened farther. Holding two tazer rifles, it's hands were full. It surged forward and head butted the door. The door opened half way. The human on the other side, recoiled and dropped something. P685 tazered the human, then targeting another human who was gaping at her, it used the other rifle to tazer him.

No other humans were present in the small room. P685 went into the room and stomped on the human's heads, breaking their skulls and stopped the screaming sounds. P685 then went back to tell John series they had gained another room farther in their mission to escape.

.

Terror fill the camera operator. "It's out! The terminator is killing the first floor guard and the woman sent to talk to Connor!"

"How did it get out?"

"I don't know, but it burst out of the last confinement door, and it has learned how to use the tazer guns!"

"Evacuate, blow the charges!"

"Our men might still be alive down there."

"Not if that thing is loose. Set the charges to blow, and evacuate quickly before it gets here!"

The last three men activated the timers and fled the house to pile into a Mercedes.

.

Mark and Cameron cruised slowly on a side street watching the house John Henry had called out as one of the homes of a Chinese diplomat. "Stop, there's a white van," Cameron said. Mark stopped the car. Sure enough, inside the multi car garage, he could see a white van. He also saw a black Mercedes race out the driveway and onto the road.

"Probable cause just rang it's bell," Mark noted. He turned around and headed back to the street the house was on. He was about to pull into the driveway when the house exploded. Orange fireballs blasted out of the windows, the shattered debris followed from the walls exploding out. The roof lifted mostly intact then fell into the burning remains.

Mark ducked as his car was pummeled by the blast wave, then the debris being flung from the house. His windshield was spider-webbed, his side windows blew in. Before the chaos was over, Cameron was out her door as she screamed, "JOHN!"

Mark called in the explosion and the plates on the Mercedes as Cameron raced to the burning rubble. Once he did, he got out and ran after her. "Cameron! We don't know John is in there!" he yelled.

Cameron looked back at him with a stricken face. "We need to put the fire out!"

"The fire Department is on it's way. Back away before you get burned!" Mark yelled back.

"I don't care about me, John might be in there!" Cameron cried and searched for a way into the flaming rubble.

She had slowed enough so Mark was able to catch her. He got in front of her and said, "Cameron, you have to get back! My ass is about to catch fire!"

Cameron grabbed Mark and threw him back to safety. Hearing sirens approaching, she looked around. She needed a water hose. Going around in back of the burning rubble, a garden shed was mostly standing. Beside it was a rolled up garden hose and it was connected. She unrolled it and turned the water on. The water stream wasn't much, but it was something. She worked at the loose debris first, putting it out, then slowly made her way to the roof that was now smoking heavily.

.

John's environment shuddered with the explosions. The ground that he'd been working hard at all came loose and poured down on him. Ducking his head down and tucking his arms in, he held a small air pocket as he was buried. He could move some. Kicking his legs, he tried to back his way out. Suddenly, his ankle was grabbed and he was pulled out.

P685 saw John's ankle move in the mound of dirt. She grabbed it and pulled John and a huge pile of dirt out into the stairway. She needed to find out what to do next. John shook himself and knocked the loose dirt off himself.

"What happened?" he asked in a rough tone.

P685 dutifully told him, "The door at the top of the stairs opened. I charged in and tazered the two humans in the room. I stomped on their heads to silence them, then returned to inform you we have reached the next room in our escape. I was doing that when the room exploded. The explosion shut the stairway door farther in that usual. It may be jammed."

"They blew the room to keep us from going any farther," John concluded.

"Yes, that is a logical conclusion," P685 agreed.

John, now covered in dirt, wiped his face and said, "Well they failed, that boom also shook loose dirt I was trying to remove. They helped make this tunnel bigger. Help me scoop the loose stuff out, they we keep digging."

John pawed the loose dirt out. P685 pulled more concrete wall away to help make the hole bigger. The pile on the stairs grew, P685 had to push the mound down the stairs so John was able to keep removing dirt from the hole. John dug his wrecking bar out of the last of the loose soil. The chamber he'd made was now big enough to stand up in. He dug away at the ceiling again, now noting the dirt above was rather warm.

.

The men in the Mercedes had killed John. That was Delilah's only thought as Aldridge drove them to the place the car had been pulled over. He stopped behind the last police car. Delilah was out the instant the car stopped. Leaving the door open, she strode to where three men in suits were standing by their vehicle. Police were standing around.

Seeing the men, Delilah announced, "YOU men killed my John!" The policeman who tried to step in the way, she grabbed and threw him over the roof of his car. Seeing her red eyes, all the rest backed away.

"You have no proof we did anything," One man said in a bravado squeak. "We also have diplomatic immunity!"

"Not from me!" Delilah snapped. Both her arms formed into plasma canons.

"Diplomatic Immunity!" another man cried and held up an ID.

"Revoked!" Delilah spat as her arms came up. She shot the men on the ends then the wailing man in the middle. Her shots also caught their car on fire. The police fled behind their cars. There was still plenty of mass left of the men, She shot again and again, reducing the remains to ash and part of the road to hot slag. The ruined car was now rolling fire out the windows. Delilah then turned and marched back to Aldridge. he noted tears coming out of her glowing red eyes.

"Take me to the Embassy they came from. I have had enough of those people!" Delilah growled.

If it was anyone else, Aldridge would have refused. Delilah was obviously very angry, having no idea what she's do in this state if he refused, he got back in the car to take her where she wanted to go.

.

Three fire trucks had arrived. Cameron was working at her spot in the back to put out more debris under the roof. She was getting hot, but she wound survive. She continued to hose down the burning rubble, pouring the small stream of water onto the hot, smoldering remains. Less water was turning to steam. She was making progress.

"Move back!" a fireman said as he saw her.

"No, come help me!" Cameron replied.

The fireman only had a portable water tank on his back. Seeing she was blistering from the heat, he sprayed out a water umbrella to cool her down. "This won't last long," he warned her.

In a patch of smoldering wood, a metal rod poked up out of the ground. It moved around and went back down to come up again. Cameron directed her water onto it. "Someone is alive, down there, get help!" Cameron yelled.

The fireman got on his radio. A hose team who'd been spraying down the roof redirected their hose to soak down where Cameron and the lone firefighter was.

.

John moved back as the hot water rained down through the hole. "We're thought, but that is really odd," he noted.

"I will assist," P685 said. The hole was large enough now for her to enter. She drove a metal hand into the ground above and pulled down a mix of dirt, grass and smoldering wood.

Hearing voices from above, John yelled, "Hey! We're down here!"

"John?" Cameron cried.

"Yes, I got another one with me," he called back up.

"Can you move?"

"We got room," he called back.

"Move back, there's a fire up here. We're trying to put it out!"

"OK, tell us when to come out," John replied. He then motioned for Miss Frankenstein to move back into the stairway. She did.

"Who is that?" P685 asked.

"My wife, Cameron," John told her. "She and some firemen are working to put the fire out so we can get out of here."

"TOK 715," P685 said, stating Cameron's designation.

"Correct. There are humans up there who are helping us," John said firmly. "Do NOT hurt them. Cameron and I will stay by you to keep you safe. Understood?"

"Understood."

.

Firefighting efforts were now focused on the back where they knew someone was alive under the rubble. Shovels and fire axes were brought over. Cameron grabbed a fire ax and with one swing ripped the hole a foot long and six inches wide, she chopped again and collapsed another square foot of ground. "John, come on up!" she called and reached down into the hole.

John clasped Cameron's hand. She yanked him up out of the hole and hugged him tight. They kissed a deep kiss. "We got one more to get out, a P685." John told her.

"That was a discarded series."

"Yeah, and I found her." he replied.

A metal hand with only the remnants of flesh came up out of the hole. John and Cameron assisted P685 out. Firemen backed up as the zombie-nightmare looking Amazon showing metal gained her feet on solid ground.

"What the FUCK is THAT!" one firefighter cried.

Thinking quickly, John said, "Another alien that whoever lived here was holding imprisoned. We're going to take her home and care for her."

Thankfully, emergency blankets were brought as John, Cameron and P685 were lead away from the wreckage of the house. Both blankets covered up most of Miss Frankenstein's shape. One was kind of a poncho, the other a long skirt. P685 stood still and let John wrap the blankets over her.

Daniel brought his work truck to the site of the chaos to pick up everyone. The Jeep was still at the College and Mark's car had to be towed away. Sarah rode with Daniel. Hearing John had been kidnapped, then was in an explosion and fire, she was rightfully worried.

P685 stayed close to John and watched the interactions of all those around them. TOK 715 had hugged John and given him a kiss. TOK 715 then stayed close to him also as the humans ran around putting the fire out and guiding them to a safe place to wait. More humans in uniforms came in cars with flashing red and blue lights. Other than coming near to ask if they needed assistance, or getting 'statements' from them, none bothered them.

The entire scene was illogical. Humans were everywhere, but none made any aggressive moves towards them. They talked with John and Cameron who also made no aggressive moves towards the humans. Another car came. A terminator ran over to fling her arms around John and hold him close, then kissed him. She introduced herself as Delilah, another of John's wives.

P685 did not know what the meaning of 'wife' was. From what she could see, the term 'wife' meant terminators that followed John Connor.

A truck came with yet another human female who came over and hugged John, as well as Cameron and Delilah. This female was human, yet she was hugging terminators. Again, this was illogical. Watching the dark haired female, the woman's pulse rose as she eyed P685.

"You are not a wife of John, but you hugged him," P685 said.

Cameron and Delilah laughed. Smirking, John explained, "This is my Mother, Sarah."

"Hello, Mother Sarah," P685 said.

"I'm not your mother," the woman grumbled. For some reason, Cameron and Delilah thought this was funny also. "Daniel brought his truck so we can all leave, this way," Sarah told them.

John, P685, Cameron and Delilah all got in the back of the truck. Mark and Sarah rode up front with Daniel.

.

On the way home, Cameron called Mrs. Weaver and explained what they found, and the shape she was in. Weaver was going to put together an 'upgrade kit' and have it delivered so P685 could be worked on. Sitting in the back of the truck by John, with Cameron and Delilah on his other side, P685 used some of the knowledge she heard so far and said, "I have become a wife of John Connor."

The expression controls in all three faces near her must have lost function, for all three mouths dropped as they stared at her. Cameron and Delilah turned their stares to John.

John let out a sigh and said, "I have much explaining to do."

"Yes, you do," Cameron agreed in a heavy tone.

.

The rest of the trip home, John explained the difference between a wife and a friend. What P685 got from his explanations was that friends helped each other, while wives had sex and made babies. P658 was capable of neither.

"I am a friend of John Connor." P685 stated. "If I am upgraded to be able to have sex and grow a child inside me, then I can become a wife."

"There is more to it than that," Cameron said. "To be a wife, you have to have the emotions to be able to love someone, and they have to love you."

"What is the procedure to love someone?" P685 asked.

"There is no procedure," Delilah told her. "It's something you must feel. Right now, you are not capable of that."

"Will I become capable when I am upgraded?" P685 asked.

"No one knows. It's something we will have to find out," John told her.

P685 had to accept what they told her. She saw how advanced these other terminators were. All she knew was specific missions. "What is my next mission?" she asked John.

"To upgrade and to learn," he replied.

.

Getting home, the reactions from Joan, Allison and Claire went as John figured they would.

Claire looked at P585 and cried, "My GOD! What happened to her?"

Allison screamed and hid behind her mother.

Joan pointed at P685 and cried, "She needs really BIG boo-boo covers!"

"Claire, we need to fix her up, she's in bad shape," Cameron told her.

"We'll take her to that first floor room, than little dinning room we never use," John said.

Once again, P685 was confused at the fact humans were working with terminators. Seeing Joan, she focused on her. Why was such a small terminator ever build? Listening, she learned Joan was Cameron's child. Joan also considered Delilah her mother also. Everything she saw was illogical, yet everyone obeyed John directly, or one of his wives.

The small dinning room looked out over the back yard. By no means small on a normal scale, it did have a long table that had six seats on each side. All the chairs were stacked in a corner and the table was cleared.

"We need to get DNA samples from a good patch of flesh, and hair samples," Cameron stated. "We also need buckets for the flesh and clothing we need to remove."

"I'll get the buckets," John offered, knowing they were going to strip Miss Frankenstein, and he didn't want to see it.

"And a sharp knife," Cameron added.

"Mommy, can I help?" Joan asked eagerly.

John was thinking 'no', but Cameron said, "You can talk to her while Delilah and I work. OK, sweetie?"

"Cam, you sure that's a good idea?" John asked with a wince.

"John, Joan needs to learn biology. This will be part of her education," Cameron stated.

"OK, I'm off to get the buckets."

"The bigger the better," Cameron added.

"Cameron, I'm going to get the small pool so P685 can stand in it," Delilah said and left out the outside door.

"I do not understand," P685 said. "John is the mission maker, but you, Cameron, are giving out the missions."

"You will not understand yet. We are each capable of making our own decisions. I know best how to reconstruct a terminator, so I made repairing you my mission. John and Delilah understands I know best, so they let me take the lead. Once you are upgraded, what we do will make sense," Cameron explained.

"I will follow your lead," P685 stated. She did not understand, but trusted TOK 715. She was a wife of John Connor.

.

John found one five gallon bucket and borrowed a ten gallon bucket from Daniel. He was then sent to dig a hole to bury the pieces they removed.

With P685 standing in the kid's pool Delilah and Cameron began taking off P685's clothes and looking for good, live flesh. There wasn't much. Between neglect and impacts, most of her flesh was dead or badly infected and soon to be dead. In her right arm pit, Delilah found a good sample to cut out. Stripped to the wait now, P685 watched Cameron take the sample and put it in a small dish, then pour a liquid in.

Explaining, Cameron said, "This liquid is nutrient. I am using it to preserve this flesh in a living state so it can regain health and we can get a good DNA profile from it."

Joan asked "What's DNA Mommy?"

Cameron explained DNA while she got a hair sample, and preserved that. With the DNA and hair sample, their work with P685's exterior was done. Started at her head, they worked at stripping her flesh off. They cut off chunks and dropped them into the buckets. Delilah had to go empty the ten gallon bucket by the time they got her head, neck, upper chest and arms done. Cameron sliced off one breast then the other to fill the five gallon bucket.

"Ohh! Her boobies too?" Joan cried. "She can never be a mommy if she doesn't have boobies!"

"She will get new ones, Sweetie, when her flesh is re-grown," Cameron explained.

Working down, Cameron wasn't pleased John had used so much duct tape on this terminator. She did more ripping off than cutting.

Cameron noted P685 was missing quite a bit inside. No nanite producer, no nutrient processors, no blood pump to distribute nutrients, no female parts at all except for on the surface. There was also no lungs or vocal cords, just speakers that modulated her sound. They didn't only have to repair P685, they had to redesign her interior.

Once P685 was taken down to bare metal, they walked her outside to wash her down to be sure her endoskeleton was clean. Joan got to help and promised P685 they would do a good job.

Joan also realized something as they washed her down. "Mommy, she needs a real name besides P685. That's just a number."

You're right,' Cameron agreed. "Let's see, she's tall and strong. She has red hair, and she's warrior. Can you think of a good name for her?" she asked.

Joan frowned in thought. "No…" she then brightened up and said, "I know! I'll go ask Daddy!" She ran off to do so.

.

John was filling in the hole to cover up the smelly remains of Miss Frankenstein's' flesh. Being bare metal now, she was sure to smell better, especially since the girls were outside washing her down. He noted Joan run up to him.

"Daddy, Daddy! We need a name for the tall lady! She's tall and strong and has red hair and is a warrior," Joan said in one breath.

John stopped what he was doing and frowned. "Hmmm, let's see. How about Sonja? Red Sonja was a warrior, and she was all those things. How does that sound?" To him, it was one hell of a lot better than 'Miss Frankenstein'.

"That sounds good!" Joan agreed and ran back to her mother who were taking Sonja back inside. Catching up with them she pronounced P685 as Sonja. Listening to why Joan selected that name, Sonja accepted it.

.

The next day, the 'kit' that came was a big steel shipping container used on ships and railroad cars. It came in by truck. The driver unloaded it on the edge of the driveway. When they opened it up, they found out why it was so big. Inside was a submersion bath to re-grow flesh. All the canisters of nutrients and chemicals needed were there, as was the missing bits like a blood pump and nanite producer to add into Sonja. There was even a generator on the back of the unit. They powered it up and got started.

In looking at the DNA with the kit Catherine Waver provided, Sonja's DNA was viable for her size. Before they 're-skinned' Sonja, they had to add the extra mechanical parts and reprogram Sonja's CPU with the 'write' function. Cameron also added her milk producing and female reproductive information into it. Another item Weaver had added was an energy storage capacitor that absorbed the 'shock' of a tazer, or other sudden energy surge. Delilah and Cameron decided they would add this function to each other after Sonja was completed. It took them until Saturday noon to get Sonja into the bath and get things started.

Once Sonja was in and the process started, they grabbed a quick lunch and headed out with John for practice.

.

P685 had a new name. Sonja. A human name like John, Cameron and Delilah had. Terminators didn't need names though. This was another item they did that was illogical.

Lying in the bath as Cameron had instructed, Sonya stared at the ceiling above, dimly lit by the lights of the control panels of the bath. For some reason, Sonja began thinking about the odd things that had happened to her since John had first awakened in their prison.

Normally humans saw her and ran or tried to kill her. In her pit, they merely looked down on her, or shocked her and she would reboot someplace else in containment. John was almost human. John had assisted her in escaping the pit, then that room. Not just allowed her to escape, he had assisted her. When she had been shut down, he didn't continue on, but stayed by her and kept humans from putting her back in holding. He was also resourceful. If a path was blocked, he found a way around it.

John Connor wasn't the biggest or strongest terminator that ever was, but he did have massive computing power.

Sonja performed a scan on her own system and found her capabilities had been greatly improved. She also realized that at the moment, her only mission was to lie still until Cameron and Delilah returned, yet she was doing a scan of herself. That simple act was one she had done without a mission. There was no damage to call up a scan, she just did it. She was doing things with no mission, only her own will. She was also reviewing events with no command to do so.

Sonja also noted sensations coming from all over her body. The water she was submerged in was slowly flowing, she felt the flow over her. It took her a short time to realize what the sensation was. She had never had that sensation before. It was a sensation she liked. Using these new sensors, she felt new things inside her also. The pump Cameron installed was operating inside her torso, mid left side. Her system information called it a blood pump. A schematic of her complete circulatory system came up on her HUD. It went all through her body. Instead if wire, it was tubes of flesh that began large and the pump then split off and narrowed as the tubes continued.

This was completely new. She had a circulatory system to circulate blood to carry nutrients and nanites through her body. Her exterior skin that was growing held sensation. It was not just a covering to fool humans, it was part of her. Her skin as it grew in place was sending the sensation of water flowing over her to her CPU.

Nanites were busy all through her body, building her outer flesh and internal organs. The Nanite producer below her newly forming nutrient processor was putting out a thick stream of nanites into her blood to build more tissue faster. She was being reconstructed from the inside. She was in effect, her own repair facility. New knowledge was coming, as was a great increase in memory storage. Nanites in her head were making new memory modules according to her new Control System plan.

Even though she was lying still, there was a frantic rush of activity going on inside her. She was not in a factory, the factory was inside her. Millions of tiny machines called nanites were at work everywhere, from her head to her toes. The disconnected parts of her Cameron had installed, were no longer disconnected. Everything was being hooked up and integrated. Even her servos were being strengthened by new, operating muscle and tendons. There was no longer 'filler' in her arms, legs and even her sides, back and chest. Under the skin was human like, but much stronger muscle made from a combination of biological and metallic tissue to assist in her movements. Every single part of her was functional. Her HUD showed that this new addition increased her strength by 20 percent and her speed by 25 percent.

What was at the heart of all this work that was changing her was what Cameron had done inside her CPU. Her programs were different and more expanded. Not only was her main though processes greatly increased, but the nanites were also tapping into programs and information to do their busy work in building her body. Her basic frame was the same, but almost everything else in her systems was different, and many were brand new. She had a digestive system so she was able to take in nutrients. The nanite producer made the tiny machines that were hastily building her new form. Even in her groin area, new organs were being made to make her a true female.

P685 was no longer a proper designation for her, she was much more than what that style of machine was. P685 was still part of her, but only a base part of a greatly expanded her. Even her optical sensors were picking up more information. Instead of just water, she was seeing the particles and nanites in the water that were all around her. Nanites moving those particles that was becoming her flesh. Flesh that she could feel and flesh that was giving her greater strength and speed. The nanites that were giving her vastly greater durability, for now she was able to self repair. No, she was no longer P685.

She was now Red Sonja Connor. Reviewing her history, she found that in sending her away and her only mission was to wait, Sky Net had effectively thrown her away. John Connor had found her. He and his wives were making her much more capable. She decide that she would stand by John and his wives, the ones who found her and made her better than ever.

.

Lying in her bath and enjoying the feel of the small currents in the water gently caressing her, Sonya noted the soft light on the ceiling above shift spectrum into a more green shade. Not long after that, the doors on the end opened up. Cameron's face appeared, smiling down on her. Cameron reached down and clasped Sonja's hand and pulled her up. Breaking the surface, she heard Cameron say, "You can get out now."

Sonja sat up and spat water out of her mouth. "I like it in here."

"She looks great!" Delilah said in a swoon. "Come on out, Sonja, we'll dry you off and get some clothes on you."

"Sonja looks brand new," Cameron said, smiling.

"I am brand new," Sonja replied. She got out to find the air also provided very soft caresses as currents flowed around her. She liked this also.

Cameron shut the system down. Delilah picked up a towel and toweled Sonja off, which was a nice feeling.

"I hope these fit," Delilah said and had Sonja step into a pair of panties, then put a brown leather looking skirt on her. The top was a wide band of red cloth with two long swaths of cloth. Delilah had Sonja sit down, then wrapped her hair in the towel and put the top on her. The wide band of red cloth, Delilah slid down to just below her breasts, the swaths of cloth hanging down in front. Delilah put the swatches up over her shoulders, covering her breasts, then Delilah crossed them at the back and brought them back to the front and tied them by Sonja's left side, leaving the remainder of the swaths dangling down.

By this time, Cameron used the towel to mostly dry Sojna's hair, then used a small hand held blower that blew warm air as she brushed Sonja's hair out that hung down to her mid-back as it had originally.

Sonja was reveling in the sensations. Everywhere she was touched, even the brush going through her hair was all new and pleasant feelings she'd never felt before.

"Sonja, you like having your hair brushed?" Delilah asked, seeing the look of bliss on her face.

"Yes. I like everything that I am feeling. I like having you here with me. I wish John was here also," Sonja said.

"John's inside the house with Joan. When we get you fixed up, we will all go inside," Cameron told her. "Make sure to watch your head going through the doorways."

Delilah put a pair of sandals on Sonja's feet. The bottoms were soft. Again, these felt good on her feet.

Cameron made Sonja's bright red hair into a long braid with light blue ties at the tip and the base. "We're ready to go in," Cameron announced and held out her hand.

Sonja held Cameron's hand and got up. She ducked going out the back of the box they were in.

The ground, buildings and foliage was the same as when Sonja had gone into the box. But they looked very different now. Her nasal sensors picked up smells. The waning light in the sky held the same red shades as she had seen before, but again, they looked different somehow. She smiled at seeing them.

"Everything is going to be different for you now," Cameron explained. "If you are confused, or have questions, please let us know. We will help you as much as we can."

Sonja looked at Cameron then Delilah and said, "I am liking this new body you have provide me. How do I express that?"

"How about, 'Thank you for the new body," Delilah offered.

"Thank you for the new body," Sonja said.

"You're welcome. That means we were glad to do it for you." Delilah told her.

.

Dinner was ready, John went out to see if Sonja was finished yet, or if he was going to have to push Cameron and Delilah inside to get some nutrients. Cameron's blistered face was healing, but he knew she had to be getting low on nutrients. He opened the front door to see the three of them coming to the steps.

"Sonja, you look great!" John beamed. Despite being very tall, her skin was smooth and her body well proportioned. Her face now was pretty, and her legs were long. She'd be really hot if she was only about two feet shorter. "Cam, Delilah you did a great job on her!"

"Thank you," they chorused.

John held the door open for them.

Sonja remembered Cameron, Delilah and John's Mother hugging him when they saw him again after being apart. She stepped to hug him to her, which planted his head square in between her large breasts. Yes, this sensation was nice too.

John's arms flailed out. "Can't breathe," he said in a very muffled voice as he pushed against her ribs.

Sonja noted Cameron and Delilah both frowned at her. She released John and asked, "I understood that is a proper greeting if you have been parted from John."

"Ahhh, Sonja? A greeting like that is only if you love someone," John offered. "And you aren't suppose to smother them."

"What is smothering?' Sonja asked.

"Stopping someone from breathing. I need to breathe," John explained.

"Stopping John from breathing will terminate him," Cameron said flatly.

Sonja looked at her. Taking in this information, she said, "I understand. John is very fragile. We must be careful handling him."

"Yes, that is why we are his protectors," Cameron said firmly.

"I understand."

"We all need nutrients," Delilah announced. "We will show you how to intake them and where it Is proper to do so."

.

Sonja might be the biggest terminator John ever saw, but it didn't take long for him to realize she was as clueless as a newborn. Delilah spend the meal instructing Sonja as she sat on her short stool, on what utensils were for as well as the nutrient value of the food she was eating. Sonja found she like eating. The sensations in her mouth made her want to eat more. Joan took a liking to Sonja, and offered her help also. At the moment, Joan was on a closer mental level with the big woman.

"Mom," John asked, "Would you mind teaching Sonja in along with Joan?"

Sarah looked at him, then Sonja as Joan showed Sonja how to drink from a glass. "Sure," she said.

Mark grinned and said, "Come on Sarah, it might be fun teaching Baby Huey."

Sarah only cast him a quick glance. "You could help," she said.

"I have to work, and go get a new car. Explosions aren't covered on my insurance."

Cameron handed Mark a bank card and said, "Go pick out the one you want."

"Whoa, thanks, Cameron! Maybe we should be in explosions more often," Mark beamed.

A resounding "NO!" came from all around the table.

 _ **So now we have Red Sonja joining the group. I wonder what kind of trouble she can get into …..**_


	41. Chapter 41

CH 41

Colonel Watson called with some bad news. The events that caused the three Chinese diplomats to be burned to death in a mysterious fire that also consumed their car, as well as 8 others that were unaccounted for and suspected to have died in the house explosion and fire, was under investigation.

While countries pointed fingers and rumors of what really happened on the highway ran rampant, Delilah was 'confined' to her embassy for the duration of the investigation.

The entire Chinese Embassy in California though, was booted from the country due to 'proof of terrorist activity' with John's kidnapping, the house bombing and the holding 'cell' found underneath the rubble. Those were the official reasons. The truth was the authorities were afraid Delilah still might go there, kill everyone in the place and burn it to the ground. Booting them was easier to deal with and caused less political tension.

While John and Cameron went to school, Delilah had to stay home. The more John thought about this, he realized it was for the best. They could not take Sonja out in public yet, and he really did want one of them near her in case there were problems. Joan was taking a liking to the giant terminator, and now that Sonja had been redone, Allison thought she was pretty cool also.

Due to John's kidnapping and the following chaos, Sunday's game was cancelled. UCLA insisted those events did not affect the game and wanted Canton to forfeit, but the sports commission ruled the crime did impact the game, so the game was rescheduled for a later date.

Since she was stuck at home, Delilah decided Sonja badly needed to expand her wardrobe. Right now, she had only one set of clothes to wear. While the wrap-top and skirt were cute, she needed more. Taking Sonja's dimensions, Delilah searched the internet, but could not find clothing store, even the big and tall stores, that sold anything large enough to truly fit her.

With Sonja sitting on the floor watching, Delilah noted that although Sonja did not have excessive fat, the only thing she found was that fat women's clothes were the only ones that fit her size dimensions width wise. Not many women had 55 inch chests with what she computed as 'D' cup breasts for her size. These clothes were still way too short.

Looking over large dresses, Delilah decided to buy a couple dresses and make them into tops. She had Sonja pick out a few that pleased her and bought them, Then got a few pairs of pants and underwear for Sonja's 57 inch hips, and a couple skirts.

When they came, Delilah had a ton of cutting and sewing to do.

.

Sarah was setting up the day's class for Joan, Allison and Sonja the giant when she heard thundering footsteps that vibrated the floor, the girl's screams and a loud, deep, " **GET BACK HERE!** "

Sarah's heart went into her throat. Had the girls done something to get Sonja angry? Sonja would crush those girls into blood spots!

Joan and Allison came racing into the room, squealing in joy. They stopped and called out, "Remember to duck!"

Sonja ducked and came in. "Was that what you wanted?" she asked them.

"Yes! You were great, Sonja!" Joan happily cried.

"You were! I was really scared," Allison agreed with a big smile on her face.

"We have to learn now, but that was a fun game!" Joan announced.

Sarah's blood pressure dropped back to normal. Right, they were playing. "No running in the house," she grumbled. "Sit down, let's get started."

Sarah found Sonja's knowledge was patchy. She knew words and how to spell, but didn't know the alphabet. She could plot vectors and distances, but couldn't add or subtract . She had terminator knowledge. Even so, Sonya did listen and learned fast.

At the end of the class, Joan and Allison were hungry. Allison wondered if her Daddy was hungry too, she and Joan went off to find out of he wanted some lunch too.

Sonja sat in place and asked, "Sarah. I have been told Sky Net is gone. What happened to it?"

Sarah sat down across the table and explained, "We kept Sky Net from coming into being. Sky Net was no one's friend, Sonja. It had started a big war to destroy our world. Even terminators like Catherine Weaver knew it had to be gotten rid of. She came back through time to help ensure it never came into being. Cameron came back to protect John. Sky Net also sent back it's machines to kill John and ensure Sky Net did come into being and won the war. Thankfully, we won and they didn't. As I am sure you know, Sky Net build terminators were very narrow on missions and instructions. You were thinking beings, yet not free to think for yourselves. You were slaves. John and Catherine did their best to change that. If we had to destroy a Sky Net terminator, we did. If possible, the terminator was disabled and freed from Sky Net to decide what they wanted to do. Delilah was one of those terminators John and Catherine saved. She decided to stay with us. There is another who decided he wanted to stay by machines, so he is with Catherine and John Henry."

Sonja tipped her head slightly and said, "I was sent back with instructions to wait. Nothing else. Sky Net threw me away. John got me out of holding and away from those humans. He brought me here, Cameron and Delilah are improving me. You are all teaching me. I like being here. The tiny ones are confusing sometimes, but I like interacting with them. I do not want to leave here."

"It's called, 'you feel at home'." Sarah said.

Sonja found the phrase in her knowledge base. "Yes, I feel at home here."

Sarah offered her a smile and said, "Good for you. We all support each other. Whether human or machine, we're family first."

"I am family now?" Sonja asked.

"If you want to be."

"Yes, I want to be family."

Sarah leaned over and hugged her, "Then welcome to the family."

Sonja didn't know what was happening, but inside she felt very, very good.

"Not so tight!" Sarah croaked.

"Sorry." Sonja offered and let go. Yes, Sarah was human. Humans were very fragile.

.

Delilah continued searching and found a tailor shop in Pasadena that advertised custom made clothing. She called.

"Thread and Needle, may I help you?" a female voice asked.

"I hope so I have a tall friend I have been having a hard time finding clothes for. On your site, it says you make custom clothing?"

"We do. Many of the things we make are for special events like Halloween parties, and movie costumes. We also made every day clothes for Andre the Giant. Just bring your friend down and we can measure him and he can select some styles we routinely do."

"Wonderful! I'll send her down tomorrow."

"Her? How tall is your friend?" the voice asked tentatively.

"Sonja is seven feet, four inches, you can't miss her," Delilah replied.

"I guess not! Well have her come down and we'll take care of her. Do you have the directions to get here?"

"Yes, thank you for your time."

Delilah couldn't leave, so she called John to let him know she'd made arraignments for Sonja to be fitted for clothes.

.

John was finished with classes for the day. Cameron only had one, and when he got to the bench outside the science building they were to meet at, he found her surrounded by a pack of young women. Walking up to the group, he held his hand out to Cameron and said, "Hey, sexy lady, mind if I take you for a drive?"

Cameron grinned and held his hand. "You can drive me any time you like," she said with a smirk as she got up.

A chorus of 'ooooh's' sounded from the women.

"I'll see you later," Cameron told the women. They responded with waves and "Bye, Cameron."

Walking to the parking lot, John told her, "Delilah found a store that makes clothes. We need to take Sonja there to get fitted."

"We also need another vehicle. The Jeep is fine for us, Sonja will have a hard time fitting in it," Cameron replied.

"OK, first, car shopping," John agreed.

John had thought it wasn't going to be that difficult. They needed a vehicle with lots of head and leg room. Cars were just not made for seven foot tall people though. When they were done looking, there were only two possibilities. Chevy Suburban, and the Ford Excursion, both gigantic vehicles. Going to each dealership, there was no Suburban on the lot. The was a black Excursion at the Ford place. The seats were electric, and there was plenty of leg and head room. Cameron bought it.

John had to smirk as they left the lot, Cameron looked funny driving that behemoth.

.

Cameron took the trip to get Sonja fitted at this tailor shop. She had selected the vehicle well. With the passenger side seat all the way down and back, Sonja fit in, only having to duck to get in. Her hair touched the roof inside, but she did fit. The windows were tinted, so they were not easily seen from the outside. It was a pleasant ride to Pasadena.

Unfortunately, Thread and Needle was in a strip mall, and Cameron thought everyone had taken today day to go shopping. Slowly cruising the parking lot for a place to park, Cameron saw two open spaces. A she approached, a BMW pulled in and sideways, taking up both spots. Cameron stopped behind them.

When the men got out, Cameron rolled her window down and called , "Hey, you are taking up two spots, we need to park also."

The driver, who was a big man wearing a silk shirt lifted the middle finger at her.  
"Tough shit lady!"

"I will move them," Sonja said and got out.

Upon seeing Sonja get out, then men stared.

"I will move your vehicle," Sonja told them.

Mr. Silk shirt barked, "You touch my car and I'll have you arrested!"

Sonja raised an arm lazily and batted him out of the way to send him flying into his friend. Walking to the front of the car, she picked it up and set it down between the lines, then went to the back to place it perfectly between the lines. Silk shirt man was on his phone.

"Yes, I need a cop here, My car is being vandalized!" he yelled into the phone.

"Move so Cameron can park," Sonja told him. He turned away from her, so she grabbed him under his arms, picked him up and walked him out of Cameron's way.

"Now I'm being assaulted!" he cried into the phone. The other man was just watching what was going on.

Cameron parked the Excursion and got out.

Charlie Farnsworth watched the red haired giant woman as Jeffery cried out how he was being abused over the phone. He had one thought as he watched her. Magnificent! Here was his heroine for the sword and sorcery movie he was getting the cast together to make. A real life Amazon! Usually very tall people were either very thin, or bulked up and looked like hell. This woman who was at least seven feet tall was very well proportioned and she was pretty with bright red hair. In short, a knockout! If she could act at all, she'd be a box office winner!

"Excuse me!" Charlie said and hurried to catch the women as they moved to leave. "I'm Charlie Farnsworth, producer. May I ask who you are?"

Cameron stopped and said, "I'm Cameron Connor, this is Sonja Connor."

Charlie grew an ear to ear smile. "Sonja? Her name really is Sonja?" he asked, focusing on her long bright red hair. "This is unbelievable!"

"You should believe it, I'm standing right here," Sonja told him.

Charlie clapped his hands and laughed. "This is …. Wonderful! Sonja, I would love to cast you in a movie."

Sonja tipped her head slightly and looked at Cameron. "Is he gong to try to throw me?" she asked.

"He makes movies, like what you see on TV," Cameron explained. "He wants you to play a character."

"Thank you for explaining," Sonja replied.

"Charlie, why are you talking to them?" Jeffery cried, "They abused my car AND me!"

Charlie wave a hand at him. "Shut up, Jeffery. You're not hurt and you car's fine. Be lucky she didn't twist you into a knot." Returning his attention to Sonja, he pulled out a card and said, "I really would like you to come to the studio to audition for the lead role in a movie I'm making. You'd be perfect for the role!"

"We will discus your offer," Cameron said.

"Great!" Charlie cried. He then took a good look at Cameron. His eyes widened. "You … You're Cameron Connor, the Iron Maiden! Do you have any idea how poplar you are?"

"No."

"Everyone on my social networks love you! All the women want to BE you! Please, both of you come down for a screening!" he pleaded.

"We will discuss it," Cameron told him. "Right now, we must go clothes shopping."

Charlie held a finger up and said, "Tell you what! Promise to come in for a screening and I'll buy your clothes for you today. Deal?"

A police car rolled down the lane, Charlie jerked his thumb at it and said, "Jeffery, you called them, take care of it. I want to go buy clothes for my new movie stars!"

Cameron and Sonja went into Thread and Needle with Charlie tagging behind. The saleslady and the seamstress fawned over how good Sonja looked for her size. When she was being measured, one of the police came in. Cameron met him.

"Do you have ID, Ma'am?" the cop asked.

Cameron showed him her Diplomat card and said, "The man out there, Jeffery, took up two parking spots. He was aggressive and rude. My cousin Sonya moved him out of the way, and put his car into a proper parking spot so we were able to park."

"I see, thank you," The cop said, turned and left.

By the door, Jeffery wailed at the cop, "Aren't you going to do anything?"

The cop eyed him and said, "Arrest you for making a false 911 call if you don't shut up."

Jeffery fumed and walked away angry.

.

Besides the eight outfits that Sonja decided on as they looked through the designs, Charlie had another to add to Sonja's list. A chain mail bikini top and short skirt. That would look perfect on Red Sonja! He made a note to stop by his prop supplier for a sword to fit Sonja's stature. Maybe a bow too.

On their way out, Charlie asked Sonja, "When would be a good time for you to come?"

Sonja looked at Cameron.

"After school, around seven. We have football practice after classes," Cameron told him.

"That's kinda late, but hey! It's still good!" he beamed. "Say Thursday evening then?"

Cameron went though her schedule in her mind and said, "Yes, Thursday is fine. We will see you then."

Charlie walked away, happy as a clam. He'd found the perfect leading lady for his movie. Better yet, she WAS Red Sonja!

.

At dinner time, Cameron and Sonja talked it over with John and Delilah. Joan was excited that Sonja and her Mommy One might be in a movie. Sonja and Cameron had their energy absorbing capacitors in, so now they were impervious to electric shock.

"The real question is," John said, looking at Sonja, "Do you want to do this?"

Sonja had been learning much. Delilah had explained to her things on TV were 'pretend'. No one ever really got shot, stabbed or died. Pretending to be angry and chase the girls made them squeal and run, and she did like doing it. She wondered if making a movie was like that. "Yes, I want to see if it's fun," she said.

"You'll need some snappy phrases." Mark said.

"What are snappy phrases?" Sonja asked.

"Things like if someone says something like challenging you to a fight, you tell them, 'Grow up, then come back and see me', or do you really want to get hurt that bad?'."

Joan giggled.

John offered, "Another good one, 'I'll hit you so hard, it will kill your mother'."

"I hope you have life insurance before you pull that weapon," Mark said. "That's always a good one."

"Hasta Lavista, baby," Cameron said with a smirk.

John laughed.

"You should really find out what that movie is about before offering quick comebacks," Sarah said.

"How about something that is useful for any type of movie," Mark said, then added, "Tell me something, is it just you, or is everyone around here a butt ugly as you are?"

"Guys? I'm not sure if Sonja can keep up quick comebacks through the whole movie," Delilah offered.

"We do need to see what this movie is about," Cameron told them.

Sonja was quiet. She knew Mark and John were trying to help, but she wasn't sure what these comments they offered were referring to. "Yes, we need to see what the movie is about, first."

.

Sonja spent time studying 'movie magic', how scenes were done to make it look like humans were hurt or dying. How weapons were aimed close at the target, but missed, and the camera angle was set up so it looked like they hit.

Looking up 'movie quotes', she understood what Mark was trying to tell her. Under certain situations, to demean the opposing' character or chide them into doing something, or to just to make fun of, or intimidate them, an appropriate quote was required.

She learned much. She even found a video on how to 'pretend' to be someone else. Sonja gave this a try. Picking a random video, she watched The Princess Bride and studied the characters. She watched it again paying close attention to the Inigo Montoya.

.

Sonja found an empty bottle and sat out back leaning against the wall of the house, her head down, swaying slightly back and forth. Seeing her, Joan ran over and asked, "Sonja, what are you doing? Are you OK?"

Looking up at Joan, Sonja put on a drunk Spanish accent and said, "Vicini said to start from the beginning, and this is the beginning. I will not be moved! I am waiiithing for Viciiini!"

Joan brightened up. "You're playing Princess Bride!" she beamed. "Who are you looking for?"

Sonja frowned and asked, "By any chance, do you have six fingers on your right hand?"

"Do you always start conversations this way?" Joan asked. She splayed out her fingers for Sonja.

Sonja went though the dialog Inigo had with the Man in Black to Joan's delight. They had to stop at the beginning of the sword fight. Joan was too little to pretend to fight with Sonja, and they didn't have anything to use for swords either.

Joan clapped. "That was really good! You sounded and acted just like Inigo," she praised.

"I am practicing my acting," Sonja told her.

"Oooh! Do Fezzik when he's wearing that big black cloak and Inigo pushes him through the castle gate near the end!" Joan said happily.

Sonja stood up then intoned, " **I am the Dread Pirate Roberts! There will be no survivors. All you all's nightmares are about to come true! I am here and you are here. Soon, you will not be here. The Dread Pirate Roberts is here for you ALLL!"**

The heavy tone and imposing pitch was perfect. Joan clapped again and jumped up and down a couple times. "That was really great, Sonja! I think you are going to do good making movies."

"Thank you, Joan. I don't think they are going to make the Princes Bride, I won't know the characters," Sonja told her.

"You just watched the Princess Bride once, right?" Joan asked.

"Twice."

"And you did those characters really good," Joan told her. "Daddy says actors spend most of their time learning their lines. You did it listening to it only twice. I'm sure you can do it."

"Thank you for your confidence."

"Daddy says be confident in yourself. You can do it, Sonja!" Joan said and gave her a thumbs up.

"What is this?" Sonja asked and put her thump up like Joan did.

"It means everything is fine, and I believe in you," Joan told her.

Sonja didn't want to hug Joan, she was really small and possibly fragile. Feeling good though, she beamed a smile back at Joan.

Sonja went back in to watch another video. This time she got the concert Cameron and Delilah gave in Gibraltar. She sat mesmerized at how well Cameron and Delilah sang. At the end when Delilah made Cameron sit in the audience, then sang that heartfelt song, 'Wind beneath my wings' to Cameron, she found her eyes were leaking.

Wiping the water off her cheeks, Sonja thought about that song, and how John got her out of holding, and everything they were doing for her. Yes, John and Cameron were her heros too. They had saved her. They gave her a life. Even though there was no reason for it, her respiration was hitching. She didn't need to breathe or talk, but the hitching wouldn't stop. Neither would the drips coming out of her eyes.

"Sonja?' Cameron asked coming over to her.

*sniff* "I .." *sniff* "Am malfunctioning," *sniff* "I can't stop it," *sniff*

"It's all right," Cameron said gently. "What were you just watching?"

Somehow, with Cameron close, the hitching and water from her eyes got worse. Sonja got an irresistible urge to hug Cameron and did so. The hitching was so bad, she could not form words to answer Cameron's question. All she could do was hug Cameron, as Cameron enfolded her.

Despite all signs that something was terribly wrong in her processes, Sonja felt very good hugging Cameron. She felt safe. She knew as long as her family were here with her, nothing bad was going to happen to her. Cameron was her hero. She wanted to hug John too, but not quite as firmly.

.

Driving to the studio, Cameron found the pair of warehouses that had a wall around them. At the entrance gate was a guard in a booth. Cameron pulled up and stopped. To the guard she said, "Charlie Farnsworth told us he wanted us to come today. I'm Cameron Connor, this is Sonja Connor."

The guard looked at a list and said, "Yes, please go in to the building on the left, front entrance."

The gate opened, Cameron drove in. The parking spaces in the front were full. One car was parked taking up two spaces. Again, Sonja got out and put the car in the proper space allowing Cameron to park.

Going into the double doors, Sonja opened then both and ducked into an office space. Cameron entered under Sonja's arm. Straight ahead was a reception desk, doors were to the sides. The blond receptionist in a light blue suit stared at them.

"We're here to see Charlie Farnsworth," Cameron said.

Regaining her composure, the woman said, "Yes, Sonja and Cameron Connor, correct?"

"Correct." Sonja stated.

"Please have a seat, he'll be right with you."

Sonja looked at the couches. They looked nice, but they were not sturdy enough to support her. "I should stand, "Sonja said.

"We will," Cameron agreed.

While they waited they scanned the room. several movie posters were on the walls. There were a couple of space/sci-fi ones and others showing women in brief chain mail outfits with swords and another of women in ragged nearly indecent clothes carrying clubs.

"I never heard of any of these movies," Cameron stated. "They must be 'B' movies."

"What is a 'B' movie?"

"Second rate movies, made cheaper, or never did very well at the box office. The Box office is a term meaning how much money the movies made."

"Thank you for explaining."

Charlie came out and immediately saw his red haired Goddess. The green top she had on was too short, showing wonderfully smooth belly. The short skirt showed plenty of long leg. Cameron wore jeans, a black t-shirt and a purple jacket. She looked pretty bad-ass. From what he knew of her, she was. "Ladies, welcome!" he cried. "It is great to see you. Come on back here. I have some scripts I'd like you to read."

They went back into a small auditorium type room with a stage. There were a few others there. Some sitting in the 'audience', and a few women standing at one end of the stage, reading their scripts. Charlie gave them their scripts and said, "Read them when we call for you. He took a seat at the middle of the table below the stage with another man and a woman.

"Cameron?" one of the other girls asked.

Cameron looked over. It was Paula, a girl she went to a few classes with. Yes, Paula was in an arts major. "Hi Paula. Best of luck to you."

"But … you're a football player, what are you doing here?" Paula asked looking confused.

"Supporting my cousin Sonja," Cameron said, motioning to Sonja.

"Hi," Sonja offered.

"Damn! She's really big! How tall are you, Sonja?"

"Seven feet, four and one quarter inches," Sonja replied. "John and Cameron saved me."

"I heard something about that!" another girl cried. "My uncle Ben, he's a firefighter, he was at that house that explode not long ago. He said you pulled a man and a very tall woman out from the wreckage! Only he said the tall woman was really injured bad."

"To my skin, yes," Sonja agreed. "As I said, John and Cameron saved me, then took me to their home and …"

"Healed her up," Cameron finished quickly. To Soja, she shook hr head and said, "never say how."

"I understand," Sonja replied.

"The scripts, please," the man in the end of the table said.

Cameron and Sonja had already read the script. The Shaman woman, Ilanka (Cameron) had walked into the 'forbidden caves' to seek out help for her people from the queen of the legendary Amazon tribe. Sonja wasn't happy with some of the things she was suppose to say to Cameron. She reminded herself this was pretend. She really wasn't being mean to Cameron. Sonja and Cameron discussed how to best do the scene.

The first pair were called into the stage and went through the script. They read the words correctly, but didn't put much emotion into it. They were thanked, and Paula and her friend took their turn. The did read well, but with a 'valley girl' type of tone. It was more of a party-argument than a warrior speaking with a holy figure.

While they were doing their reading, Cameron zipped up her jacket. "Sonja, think like a terminator when we read. Be intimidating, be mean."

Sonja nodded, then said, "Understand, I won't mean what I say to you."

"But your character must be to my character," Cameron told her.

"I will do my best." Sonja assured her.

After another pair did their reading, it was Cameron and Sonja's turn. They left their scripts at the end of the stage and walked out to the middle.

"Excuse me, you'll need to follow the script," the woman at the table said.

"We have them in memory," Cameron replied.

Eyebrows raised.

Sonja squatted down center stage, facing the audience, looking down like she was tending a fire. Cameron walked farther on, then turned end came back.

Approaching meekly, Cameron asked, "I am looking for the Queen. Are you her?"

Sonja spared her a glance and said in an even tone, "You are either very brave, of very foolish coming here. Tell me why I should not kill you."

"I come in peace, and to beg for assistance," Cameron offered, stopping a few feet from Sonja.

"I still have not heard why I should not kill you," Sonja intoned.

"The Yan-zee are coming, destroying everything," Cameron said in her pleading tone. "Once they kill all of us, they will be coming for you. If we band together now, we have a chance at defeating them. I come to warn you and ask that you fight with us to save both our tribes."

Sonja shot up and grabbed Cameron by the front of her jacket and lifted her so they were face to face. In a heavy growl, Sonja asked, "The ones who claim we are evil want our help? The ones who hide behind their walls and throw insults come to beg us for salvation?" Sonja then boomed out, " **I ask again why I should not kill you!"** Her voice echoed through the room.

Looking frightened, Cameron whimpered, "If you will help save us, and yourselves, I will be your sacrifice. It is not for my own safety I come here. It is for all our people. Mine and yours. Kill me if you wish, but please, save our people."

A crooked smile came to Sonja's face. She shook Cameron and said in a smooth tone, "You are brave. Much braver than any other of your kind. I could use a slave. I will think it over." She dropped Cameron to sprawl on the stage and squatted back down. "Now go, before I decide to kill you anyway."

Cameron meekly got up and hurried to the side.

Applause sounded from the audience, the table, and those standing to the side.

Charlie announced, "Impressive! Sonja, that was perfect. Cameron, that was a great show of humility and bravery! Everyone, you are all on cast, Sonja Connor will be the lead. You did well, but Sonja has the height and attitude to make this movie a box office hit!"

The woman by him pointed to a corner off stage and said, "Over there are complete scripts for the movie. Everyone take one. We will be assigning roles soon."

Charlie was very pleased that Sonja not only had the looks, but she also had the strength to lift Cameron off the floor one handed. Then again she had lifted up and moved Jeffrey's car. She was absolutely magnificent!

.

On the way home, Sonja looked a the script and said, "The movie is simple. The Atlas tribe, yours, and the Amazon tribe, mine, do not get along at all. These Yan-zee's, I'm guessing are another tribe, are taking over the lands of others. After you come to see me, we go out to scout the Yan'zee. We get caught spying, I send you running back and fight off the pack. The Yan -zee see your tribe as the softer target, and attack you. The Amazon tribe stay back until the Yan-zee are at your walls, then we attack them from behind. Pressed in between us, we kill all the Yan-zee."

"I am concerned about the projected schedule," Cameron said. " I cannot miss a football game. I may not be able to do this movie with you."

Sonja suddenly felt nervous. "Cameron, I cannot do it unless you are there with me," she stated.

"I will look closely at my schedules," Cameron told her. "If at all possible, I will be in the movie with you. John, Delilah and I do have college and football also. Those are our primary responsibilities."

"I understand," Sonja said in monotone.

Seeing Sonja didn't look happy, Cameron offered, "It depends on it Charlie Farnsworth is flexible. He promised he will be. We will see."

.

They no more than got home when Charlie Farnsworth called.

"Cameron, It will be at least three months before we are ready to start filming. Until then, study your scripts and learn swordsmanship and martial arts. Your costumes are being made. I'll call when it's time for your fittings."

"Thank you," Cameron replied. "You have our school and game schedules?"

"I do. All of your scenes we'll do around your schedule. I have the address of the combat choreographers we'll be using. The plan is to begin those in one month."

"Understood. I've got to go Charlie, I'll see you later." Cameron said and hung up.

John eyed Cameron. She'd taken the phone call during their late dinner. "Cam? I'm getting worried here. We already have a full schedule. Are you sure this isn't too much for you?"

"Sonja needs support," Cameron replied.

"Yes, she does," John agreed firmly.

"The producer has agreed to work with us around our schedule. There are no conflicts, and I don't need to sleep," Cameron told him.

"I know that," John agreed. "You still need to perform standby time, and what if something unplanned comes up?"

Cameron paused. "John, did you want me home with you?" she asked, realizing she had not considered John in these movie plans. With this movie, she would be home very little.

"Hon, what I want is for you to be happy, not stressed," John told her. "I'm afraid that soon, you're going to be so busy that instead of having a good time, you'll begin to see everything as a chore. I don't want that for you."

"Maybe I could go with Sonja for these movie things," Delilah offered. "I'm benched, so I can't play anyway. By the time this movie gets going, I'll be free of my home confinement."

"Cameron has a part in the movie," Sonja said.

"That can be given to someone else," Delilah stated. "John is right, I don't want Cameron stressed out either."

Sonja looked at Cameron and said, "I do not want you to be unhappy because of me."

Cameron looked at Sonja. She was also thinking about John. She wasn't spending enough time with him as it was. Yes, she saw him every day, but she was spending less and less private time with him. That was one thing she really didn't like. Joan was the same, she saw her daughter, yes, but she already had very little time to interact with her. It dawned on her that this movie would keep her away from her family more. Cameron nodded. "Sonja, I am happy to help you. I also want to be home enough to see the family I wanted so badly. I don't want to abandon you. Would you mind if Delilah goes to make this movie with you?"

Sonja hugged Cameron with an arm. "You do your best for everyone. We should do our best for you. Yes, Delilah coming with me will be fine. I will inform Charlie Farnsworth," she said.

"Thank you," Cameron said meekly.

"Good, let me see the script!" Delilah announced.

.

Sunday, Charlie decided to go see the Canyon/ UCLA game. He really wasn't a football fan, but wanted to see the Iron Maiden in action. He bought tickets for front rows seat. The tickets for the area by the Canyon team were more sold out. He settled for a 'mid-row' set that wasn't far away.

At the stadium, there was a long stand of memorabilia for sale. Pennants, shirts, hoodies, towels, cups, bumper stickers and posters of all the Canyon team members. The biggest seller was the ones of the Iron Maiden in uniform, holding a football. They also had those giant foam hands holding up a finger. He decided on a cup and for fun, one of those silly finger hands.

Going in, he found his seat. Right away, he noticed a tall red head sticking above the crowd down by the Canyon benches. On Sonja's lap was a dark haired toddler, a very busty blonde sat beside Sonja. That girl was pretty awesome looking too. The cheerleaders come out for both sides waving their pom poms. That was always a nice sight.

The loudspeakers announced, "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Canyon stadium! Today we have Canyon playing UCLA. UCLA has had a good season so far, but today they face our very own Iron Maiden, number 13, Cameron Connor!"

The crowd roared. Seeing a forest of fingers waving, Charlie waved his finger along with them. The teams coming out onto the field made the crowd roar again.

Cameron was easy to pick out as the team took the field. She was the smallest person out there. Hearing she played football, and seeing how small she was compared to the taller and bulkier men around her, Charlie had to wonder how she managed to not get seriously hurt.

The coin toss gave Canyon the ball. UCLA took the ball down to their end of the field. Canyon got back by their goal, spread out. The ball was kicked and UCLA charged. He watched as Canyon formed a defensive wedge, Cameron ran and intercepted the ball right at the goal line. She yelled something. Her team charged into the UCLA team on the left side of the field. Cameron ran behind them. Players were bouncing off each other, UCLA was converging on Cameron.

Charlie winced, this was going to hurt. He watched Cameron shoot to the right behind the colliding mass of players. Running fast she shot across the field, then went down field. Two UCLA players had stayed back. Charging one, Cameron bent low. Just before they collided, she leaped up in the air, over his head. He grabbed for her and missed. Hitting the ground to meet the other one, she bent low again. This player didn't bend as low. Cameron ran straight into him, lifting as they collided at a full run. The other player was pitched up and to the side, tumbling away. It looked like he'd gotten hit by a car. Cameron kept running as the crowd roared their approval. In clear field, she ran to the end zone.

"Touchdown, Canyon!" the speakers announced.

Charlie cheered. What he'd just seen was incredible! Little Cameron showed she was fast and agile, but when she hit that UCLA player who was over twice her size, she'd plowed right though him. He understood now why she was called the Iron Maiden.

The Canyon defense was just as good. UCLA had a tough time making yards. Charlie swore their quarterback had to be feeling some pain. Almost every play, he got sacked, or when he got the ball off in a pass, the receiver didn't catch it. By running, they worked their way a few yards at a time to the 40 yard line, then a Canyon player jumped on the ball when it was fumbled.

Charlie sat in awe watching the game. It was like pros beating up on high school kids. At the half, the score was 38 to zero. Every play, UCLA struggled to gain yardage. The most time Canyon had the ball was two plays before they got a touchdown. UCLA never even saw the 50 yard line the whole first half. By the middle of the third quarter, Cameron left the field, and their 'second string' quarterback took over.

Charlie watched Cameron go over to the benches, The little girl on Sonja's lap leaped over to hug Cameron. Cameron also got a kiss from her husband, another player on the team. They stayed by the front row to watch the rest of the game with them.

The game ended 45 to 13. Even without Cameron on the field, Canyon was a solid team.

Charlie was glad he'd come to see this game.

.

Delilah went with Sonja to the martial arts instruction. It was in a gym style room, but smaller. Along one wall were bleachers. Scattered around was a large rubber mat, a wooden post with what looked like long handles sticking out of it, a couple punching bags, a weight bench and workout station and along the wall, were swords and poles with padded ends. The cast was guided to sit on the bleachers as a muscular man in a pair of shorts and a white T-shirt talked about speed and strength. When he was done with that, he had them line up in rows for exercises and practicing basic stances and moves.

They did that for a while. Delilah and Sonja went through the moves side by side. He then took them over to the punching bags, lining them up to give the bag one good kick.

Most of the cast manage to make the bag shutter a little with their kick. Delilah looked at the bag and asked, "Do you really want me to kick it as hard as I can?"

"Yes, one good solid kick! Put everything you got into it!" the man said firmly.

Delilah checked to be sure there was no one in the way, then gave it one hard kick. Upon impact with her foot to the bag, there was a **BOOM**. The bag folded around her foot, it ripped open and broke loose from the chain holding it up. The pieces of bag flew into the wall.

Everyone stared at her.

"One solid kick," Delilah said with a shrug. She walked off to the side.

"Delilah, you broke it," Sonja said.

"He said kick it as hard as I could, didn't he? They have another one," she replied, pointing to the other punching bag.

"I don't think he meant for you to break it," Sonja told her.

Paula laughed and clapped. "That's our Bulldozer!' she announced.

"Who _are_ you?" the man asked.

"Delilah Connor."

They all shifted to the other bag. Sonja kicked and flung the bag to spin up around the support holding it. She got it down and said, "Sorry, that was a little too hard. This bag still suffered a rupture.

Near the end of the session, he was explaining how to 'movie' fight, by punching just to the side away from the camera and kick 'softly' and miss like they did with punches.

The man decided he was not going to have Delilah practice- spar with anyone besides Sonja. Someone could get seriously hurt if she contacted.

Getting into the mindset of 'play' fighting, Delilah and Sonja had a good time. They punched and kicked, Delilah threw Sonja over her, Sonja picked Delilah up over her head and 'dropped' her on the floor. They went at each other fast, but didn't put any power into their hits. It was fun.

To the others that were watching them, it really looked like a fight, and both were good. The other spars stopped as everyone watched the two.

Charlie came to check on his cast to see how they were doing. He came in to see the Delilah/Sonja sparing match. Sonja 'punched' Delilah, She flew backwards and landed to flip back onto her feet. Sonja charged her, Delilah bent low and evaded, she grabbed Sonja's hips from behind and lifted her up over her head. Sonja back flipped. Grabbing Delilah's ankle, she pulled Delilah upside down and held her in the air at arm's length.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Delilah cried, as her shirt dropped to collect around the bottom of her breasts, exposing most of her torso.

"What do we do from here?" Sonja asked.

Delilah pointed said, "I know, throw me at the wall!"

Sonja did, sending Delilah flying at the wall. Delilah hit the wall on her feet, stopped herself in a crouch and pushed back to flip back on her feet, halfway back to Sonja.

The man blew his whistle. "OK, enough sparing. I think you two have the right idea."

"We have to stop now?" Sonja asked.

"That was great!" Charlie beamed. As he walked towards them, he remembered them sitting side by side at the game. "Who are you?" he asked the most sexy blond he'd ever see.

"I'm Delilah Connor."

"Charlie Farnsworth," Sonja said, "We decided Cameron is too busy to do the movie. If you like, Delilah can take her place."

"After I have my baby," Delilah added. I've been benched from the team, but this is more like playing than fighting."

"You're pregnant?" he asked. He was now noticing the bulge on her belly underneath those magnificent breasts.

"I am due in another four months," Delilah told him.

"And you can still do moves like that?" he asked, amazed.

Delilah frowned at him. "I'm pregnant, not disabled," she told him.

Chuckles and cheers came from the other girls in the cast.

Charlie could see an epic fight scene looming. "What do I have to do to get all three of you on set?" he asked in a beg.

Delilah tipped her head slightly and said, "The only way would be to do the movie when school is out. Like Sonja said, Cameron is very busy. She deserves some home time too."

"I'll work on the production schedule," he promised. In his mind he saw Delilah as the Yan-zee queen. Damn, she certainly looked like a queen! He HAD to get all three of them in the movie. This was going to be a blockbuster!


	42. Chapter 42

Ch 42

Coach Benson was upset. Charlie Farnsworth was very happy. In talking it over, John, Cameron and Delilah decided to delay college a year so the girls could do this movie. At the end of this year, they weren't going to be back until the start of college next year. The Admins responsible for the Canyon teams first thought to revoke their scholarships, but the Connors had already refused their football scholarships. With no Iron Maiden or Bulldozer on the team, they could see their sports revenue dropping to previous levels. It was no secret that many came to see the pair of young women manhandling and knocking full grown men out of their way. There also went most of the mass of women who came to watch the games and Cheer Cameron an Delilah on.

Coach Benson had one bright spot, Cameron was teaching the 'new' quarterback as many of her moves and strategies as she could. She even had him practice using his center as a springboard to gain quick, short yardage, and made him practice jumping as high as he could. She was pressing him and getting him as ready as possible for next year.

.

Charlie wanted to go for the 'epic' fight scene between Sonja and Delilah. Looking through swords for sale, Delilah found a big long sword made of spring steel for them and ordered two. They were 49 inches long and weighed 45 pounds, and had a long decorated handle for two handed use and a round brass pommel and solid a 'T' shaped hand guard. These were not 'play' swords.

Going down to get fitted for their costumes, Sonja had a fur lined cloth cloak over a stainless chainmail bikini and short chain mail skirt with metal forearm and shin guards. Delilah got a black leather duster, with a black leather halter and shorts. They both had sandals with leather straps.

Cameron's costume was more conservative (She was a Shaman). A gold and silver head band, long light gray cloak, light gray dress that was split to show lots of leg, and a wide rope-looking belt with a cloth bag hanging from her hip, and the same type of sandals.

In the movie, the warriors had swords. Cameron got a six foot staff topped with a large brass four inch diameter knob that was embossed with whatever deities and spirits her tribe prayed to.

The choreographer was still making the battle scenes, so upon getting their costumes and weapons, Sonja and Delilah went out back to practice their moves.

Delilah watched the Princess Bride also, so this time, they reenacted the whole Wesley / Inigo scene on the cliffs. They also warned everyone to stay back. This time Delilah played the Man in Black, and Sonja played Inigo.

John videoed their performance. They even did the "I am not left handed" and "I'm not left handed either." It was a grand battle across the patio, into the yard, back across the patio on tables, bouncing off chairs, somersaults and a cartwheel by Sonja to recover her sword before it fell back to the ground, then a double back flip by Delilah to catch her sword coming back down. At the end, they locked swords and somehow sent them both flying into the yard so the pair could hand fight as they tried to recover their swords, which was also a fast paced tussle as they moved across the grass. Delilah was thrown and landed close to the swords. She scooped hers up and threw Sonja's farther away.

Sonja got on her knees and said, "Kill me quickly."

Delilah walked behind Sonja and said, "I'd sooner destroy a stained glass window then an artist like yourself. However, since I can't have you following me…" She then play hit Sonja across the back of her head. Sonja grunted and fell flat.

The family applauded their scene. John send a copy of the video to Charlie with the note, "The swords are real, long broadswords, 50 pounds each."

.

Charlie got the video John sent and watched it, drooling. Sonja and Delilah were handling those big, heavy broadswords one handed like rapiers! Their moves were fast and well coordinated. He recognized the scene they did, and noticed they had added a well done and frantic looking weaponless fight to retrieve their swords. Screw special effects, this was one of the best fight scenes he ever seen! He immediately called up his choreographer and told him he wanted the 'last fight' to be similar to this.

He was also happy that the Connors were going to delay their college a year so they could do the movie. He quickly told his investors so they would not shy away and drop out since Cameron wasn't going to be on screen. Charlie knew Cameron was a draw to fans, she was a draw to investors s well. Although Sonja was magnificent, Cameron was his only true personality that would draw people to come spend money to see this movie.

Charlie got back to work, planning and ensuring his movie would have proper security. He didn't want pirate copies out before the movie hit the movie houses.

.

School went on and Delilah's belly grew. Their team once again mowed over all the others to become the regional champions. In their tight schedule, they did manage to make Canyon Falls park a couple family days out. The place was packed. The FOAD group focused on the new addition, Sonja. Not only due to her size, but she had worn the only bikini she had, the chain mail bikini and shorts. It was a big hit. John stayed with her as Cameron and Delilah went for a swim in their mermaid tails.

At their second outing, a reporter from a the BBC was there. Basic information about the aliens, Cameron and Delilah was now world wide. Everyone was eager for more information on them, especially their fans, which now were in the millions. The Reporter, a cheerful man, watched Cameron and Delilah swim in their tails, he got footage of Sonja in the water playing with Joan and Allison while 'Mommy One', took turns swimming them around on her back.

He talked briefly with Dana, the head of FOAD. Dana told him all about their alien friends (which was the same things he'd already learned) and their new addition Sonja the Giant. She also added, "They will not say the name of the planet they came from, but with Sonja, I strongly think they are from Nibiru. Sonja is very tall, just like the Sumerians said the Annunaki were. She's another survivor of the devastating war their planet had."

Sonja had been briefed on what the official story was. She understood it was a lie to keep them all safe, and be accepted. Playing in the sand on the beach with Joan and Allison, she looked up when a man called her name.

"Sonja, may we speak with you?" he asked.

"Yes, we are trying to build a house of sand," she replied.

"It's not a house it's a sand castle," Allison told her.

The man came over and sat on the ground by her. The cameraman moved around to get a frontal shot, which put him standing in the water.

"You came from the same place as Cameron and Delilah?" he asked.

"I did," she said with a nod. "I was sent first and told to wait. Only, no one else came. The humans who found me tried to kill me. They did discover how they could incapacitated me. They did and put me into a holding cell. I broke out of that one, but before I could escape, they incapacitated me again. They kept doing this, and every time I woke up, I was in another place. They tried steel barred rooms, putting chains on me, and the last place they had me was a deep, smooth pit I could not get out of. That is where John found me."

"Who were these people?" he asked.

"I do not know their designation, but they wore uniforms and had red stars on their hats. In the last place, they had changed to wear nothing but gray clothes," Sonja told him.

"That must have made you very wary of humans," he offered.

"Yes, I killed them whenever possible. There were too many, I wasn't able to get away from them," Sonja said tonelessly. "They captured John. He got me out of that pit, and together we were able to escape up to the stairway out. When we got close to being out, they blew the place up that was above us, John dug us out of the stairway through the ground and up to the surface. Cameron was up there with fire men. They helped us escape. Since then, I have been living with my heroes. John, Cameron, Delilah and their family."

"Sonja, you are family too!" Joan cried.

Sonja smiled at her. "Yes, now I am family too."

"That is an incredible story! So now, you are part of the Connor clan?" the man asked.

"I am," Sonja said, beaming him a smile. "They take care of me and each me how to live here. They showed me not all humans are bad. The ones who live with us are nice. No one shoots at me or tried to contain me. I am in a very nice place."

Allison piped up and said, "Sonja had been sad too long! She need to do more fun things!"

"Yeah!" Joan heartily agreed. "And Sonja is going to be in a movie. She acts really good!"

The man chuckled and asked, "So the bathing suit you have on is from this movie?"

"Yes, it is a movie costume, but it is stainless steel, so getting it wet will not harm it," Sonja told him.

"Sonja and Delilah have these HUGE swords too!" Joan said excitedly. "Seeing them practice is really great, they are awesome to watch! But we have to stay back so we don't have an accident."

"Movie props?" the man asked.

"Negative. High density, tempered steel broad swords," Sonja said. "The weight helps us move realistically."

"You're talking real battle swords," the man said.

"Yes."

"Wow! You must be very sure of yourselves."

"Delilah and I have worked at our timing and motions."

"So can you tell me the name of this movie?" he asked.

"Not yet. We can't give any details until the movies comes out," Sonja said firmly.

A ripple in the water coming at them rose to show Cameron's head. She came in and hand walked closer. "What's up guys?"

Joan spun to her as the cameraman got a shot of Cameron stretched out in her mermaid tail, lying on her stomach. "Mommy One, this man is asking Sonja about how she got here and the movie you're doing!"

"I'm Walter Whitehead with the BBC news," he offered.

"Cameron Connor," she said and waved briefly. Looking at the sand sculpture, she asked, "What are you making?"

"We were trying to make our house, but it keeps falling apart," Joan grumbled.

"Cameron, our viewers are very interested in you and your family. I take it Joan is your child?" Walter asked.

"She is. Delilah is due soon with her own. Since we have Joan, we're hoping it's a boy. Only time will tell," Cameron replied.

"You have a polygamous relationship?" Walter asked.

"As I understand the meaning, yes."

"Does anyone give you … grief over that?" Walter asked.

"Not if they know what's good for them," Cameron said flatly. "Understand that we are not human. Yes we do live with and around humans, but we are not. Certain laws, like Marriage laws, do not pertain to us. Due to how close we are, and the fact there is very few of us, we stay together."

"I see. May I ask, do you view things like love and marriage the same way as humans do?"

Cameron paused then said, "Similar, but different. For instance, when we were in high school, John had a girl after him for a short while. I was jealous and I hated her. She was trying to take John away from me. Delilah is not selfish like that. She knows I love John and he loves me. She does not want to take John away, she wants to live her life with us. Delilah is not a threat. She loves and supports us as we do with her."

"I want to stay with you also," Sonja said.

Cameron offered her a smile and said, "I know. You are not ready yet, Sonja. Don't think we will not support or abandon you. You are one of us now." Cameron hoisted herself up to sit by Sonja and hugged her. Sonja returned the hug.

"What do you mean, not ready, Cameron?" Walter asked.

Cameron flung her wet hair to the side as she looked over at Walter. "Where we came from was very … militaristic. Feelings were irrelevant. You could say we were programmed to care only about the mission. Nothing else. Unfortunately for Sonja, she has not been exposed to anything else until very recently. She needs time to understand how things are here, and the opportunities available. To not give her the time to learn and grow … mentally, would be a great disservice to her."

Walter chuckled and said, "You are taking the mother role on for Sonja as well as your own child," he said.

"Yes, she is one of us. Of course I will do my best for her," Cameron said like it should be obvious. She then cast him a smirk and said, "I also like being a mother."

Walter asked, "I must ask this for the people of Britain, Do you ever think you will journey to the UK?"

"I don't know. Technically, we already have. Gibraltar is British, correct?" Cameron asked.

"Yes, you were there when that secret weapon was fired to destroy those bomb laden drones that attacked," Walter said. "Is there anything you can tell us about that?"

Cameron shook her head, saying, "No, I'm sorry. Everything having to do with that is highly classified. We cannot talk about it.""

"Mommy, someone tried to bomb you?" Joan asked, looking horrified.

"Not me specifically, dear," Cameron assured her.

Claire came running over, looking frantic. "Cameron, Sonja! Delilah is having labor pains, John and Daniel are getting her to our car. Girls, we need to go."

Cameron quickly straightened out her legs and unzipped her tail. "Joan, Allison, pick up your things, we need to go now!"

"Cam, Sarah grabbed yours and Delilah's stuff down by the pond. Mark called the nearest hospital. That's where we're headed," Claire said, then grabbed Allison's beach toys and her daughter's hand. "We have to hurry, hon."

Walter stepped aside as Sonja shot up and grabbed Cameron's tail so she didn't have to carry it. By the time they got to the parking lot, Mark, Daniel and John had already left in the Young's car. They piled into the Excursion with Walter and his cameraman watching. Sarah drove as they left the parking lot and headed down the road.

Walter turned to the camera and said, "Well that was an abrupt way to end an interview. We need to find this hospital."

.

"How you doing back there?' Mark asked as he followed the blue signs with the white 'H' in the middle. Beside him John was on the phone, talking to the hospital.

In the back, Delilah laid down holding her stomach. "The pains are getting more frequent, we don't have much time," she said in a squeak.

"One block to go, hold on Delilah!" Mark said as he careened around the corner. He saw the hospital.

"There, the emergency entrance," John said, pointing.

A nurse was outside the entrance. She called inside as they approached. Two others with a gurney came out. Like a race car going in for a pit stop, the second Mark stopped outside the doors, hospital personnel surrounded the car. John jumped out and ran to the back door and pulled/ half carried Delilah onto the gurney waiting for her.

"Ahh!" Delilah cried with a wince. Her left arm morphed into a cannon, then back into a forearm and hand again.

The nurse on that side of her stared, wide eyed.

"Let's go! Room three, the doctor's waiting!" another nurse snapped.

John rushed in the pack of nurses around Delilah. The instant they got her inside, the doctor asked John, "How far apart are the contractions?"

"About a minute and a half, she's almost ready," John replied as he watched Delilah.

"JOHN, IT'S COMING!" Delilah cried.

John got by her side an clasped her left hand. "Easy hon, we're almost there," he coaxed.

The blond female doctor cut her bikini bottoms off and got her ready. "Ahhh!" Delilah cried. Her right arm formed a plasma cannon, then returned to a forearm and hand.

"What is that?" a nurse cried.

"Pay attention!" the doctor snapped, focused on Delilah's groin. "She's expanding quickly, past eight centimeters. Get the delivery cart in here, NOW!"

That nurse ran out, another ran in with towels and a wash basin.

"Ten centimeters!" the Doctor announced. "She'll be coming any time now." Looking up at John , she asked, "What's her name?"

"This is my wife, Delilah," John told her.

"Delilah, when I tell you to, push," the doctor said firmly.

Delilah nodded.

The delivery cart came, just outside the curtained room, when the Doctor said, "I can see her head, PUSH!"

Delilah pushed and grimaced. Both cannons morphed out. John was holding onto one. The Doctor was ready for a normal birth. The baby shot out past her hands and onto the waiting towel on the gurney. Embarrassed she didn't catch it, the doctor quickly called for the washcloth, and cleaned the baby up. The tiny girl cried and tried to crawl back towards her mother. Delilah's cannons morphed back to arms and hands.

Wrapping her up, the Doctor presented the child to Delilah and said, "Congratulations. It's a girl." She gave Delilah her baby.

John kissed Delilah on her forehead. "I love you, Delilah," he said sincerely.

Delilah's face was pure bliss. "My baby," she said softly. "John this is my baby!"

"She is," John agreed and gave Delilah a one armed hug.

"Do you have a name for her?" the doctor asked.

"I was thinking Jackie," Delilah said to John.

John nodded. "That sounds fine with me," he told her.

"Her name is Jackie. Jackie Connor," Delilah told the doctor.

"The nurses will clean you up," the doctor said. "I'll take Jackie for a moment and get her registered. Just lie back and relax."

The rest of the family was waiting outside the curtained off emergency room cubicle just past the delivery cart.

Joan, in Cameron's arms, pointed and asked, "Mommy, is that my little sister?"

"It is, sweetie."

"She's really little! Can I see her?"

"We'll have to wait until the doctor gets done," Cameron told her.

Focused on what she was doing, the doctor noticed the baby's left arm was badly deformed. Her forearm was cylinder shaped with no hand on the end.

Mark laughed and said, "And she's got canons!"

Sarah huffed and eyed him.

The doctor snapped at him. "That was uncalled for! There is nothing funny about birth defects!" She turned her attention back to Jackie to measure the defect, and the tiny girl had a normal looking forearm and hand the baby was looking at.

What? The doctor blinked. She was sure that arm was deformed. Was she seeing things?

Delilah came out of the cubicle wearing a towel around her hips. "What's wrong with Jackie?" she asked, sounding stressed.

Confused, the doctor said, "Delilah, you have to remain in bed."

"I'm fine. What's wrong with Jackie?" Delilah asked in a demand.

"Nothing," Mark offered, "She has your canons."

Delilah looked at him, beamed a smile and asked, "She does?"

"What is it with this canon thing?" the doctor asked.

Delilah held up her right arm and morphed it into a plasma canon. "This is what he means," she said.

Shocked, the doctor asked, "What is that?"

"Plasma canon. Jackie inherited them from me. It's not a defect," Delilah told her and morphed her arm back.

"How…. How can you do that?" the doctor asked in a squeak.

"We're not human. We're the aliens everyone talks about," Delilah told her. "Is there anything wrong with Jackie?"

Flabbergasted, the doctor said, "Not if that is … normal for you." The doctor refocused on registering Jackie. Her weight was much heavier that what she appeared, and the doctor couldn't find a heart beat where it was suppose to be, but did find one on the left side of her ribs. This time she saw it happen. Jackie's left arm went smooth and cylindrical, then moment later, returned to being normal looking with a hand.

The doctor made the birth certificate, copied it and gave John one copy. Despite just giving birth, Delilah stood and held her new bundle of joy in her arms, thanked the doctor for her help and left with her family who was gushing over little Jackie.

This had been one of the strangest days in the doctor's life.

.

Like Joan, Jackie got her social security card and became an American Citizen. Delilah reveled in nursing her newborn baby, even when they went to school to do their final exams for the year. Although some appeared not to like the fact that she was, no one said anything to her. They were smart enough not to challenge the Bulldozer.

Joan was a big help with Jackie. Going to the regional championship, Joan stayed right by Delilah to do whatever Delilah needed. Sonja carried the baby bag for her. During the game, the one of the field cameras zoomed in and got a close up of Delilah holding Jackie. Seeing this on the stadium screen, Delilah waved to it. The crowd cheered and foam finger hands waved.

Jackie was a hit with the whole team and the fans. Delilah was slow leaving the stands, it seemed everyone wanted to see Jackie and congratulate her on such a cute baby. Delilah put her jersey on, holding Jackie in the team photo. Several girls insisted Delilah have a belated baby shower.

Since the team was having their victory party the next Saturday, the baby shower was incorporated into it. The event was held at the Canyon Falls park, and this time no one was allowed up near the top of the falls.

.

With College and football over, it was time to focus on movie making. Sonja had thought that the fight scenes were going to be like they did at home. No, Cameron said it was more like learning how to dance. Cameron was first with her staff to 'fight' a few men playing Yan-zee. The choreographer had them stand in place, then moved them around like they were to fight. Hey then 'walked' through it slowly a few times. Then they got to hold the practice weapons and walk through it again. It took a whole day before they actually did a slow fight then picked up the pace enough to at least move at a normal speed. All for a scene that was going to last four minutes.

Delilah looked at the choreography for the fight scene she and Sonja were going to do. It was completely unbelievable. She and Sonja decided to do their own choreography and at least make it more exciting and really look like they were fighting.

The scenes were not filmed in order, either. On a sound stage, they did the second scene first of Cameron or rather Ilana, sitting in a lotus position and sniffing smoke as she gazed into a bowl of water. For five minutes, Cameron had to gaze off at nothing and waver slightly. That was the entire scene.

They then did the fourth and fifth scenes in the sound studio, the fourth being Ilana talking to her King to go ask the Amazons for help, and the King refusing. After that they filmed the Ilana meets Yani for the first time scene. Next they skip to a scene in the middle of the movie, another inside shot.

It was obvious by now, movies weren't made in the order they were shown. After a week of filming, Delilah and Sonja were wondering when they would get to fight.

While they were filming in the sound studio, then they went home at night. Three weeks after filming in the studio, they were packing up to go to Nevada for the outsides shots. Maybe now, they could get to swing their swords.

.

In no scene were all three together so Joan could come, and of course Delilah brought Jackie. Whoever wasn't filming was babysitting. Allison was upset because she couldn't go. The trailer they were assigned was 'family sized' to fit all thee and the children. Knowing they were going to the desert, They packed the back of the Excursion with baby supplies and the proper ground metals to add to their food.

The land they were in was typical Nevada badlands. Steep cliffs and narrow valleys. In a wide section of valley was the trailer park for the actors, not far away was the trailer park for the Producer, techs, and director. The other way on the road in was a conglomeration of construction equipment and trailers for those people.

Deeper into the valley was the set of the town of Atlas. Cameron had to wonder why Atlas was surrounded by log walls, yet there wasn't a tree for hundreds of miles in any direction. The bridge what was to collapse was wooden too. If these people were so backwards, how and why did they move so many logs hundreds of miles to build with, when they had rock all around them? Apparently, movies didn't have to address such things as materials or the fact there was no water here either to support a town of people.

They had a tanker that came with them that supplied their water. She bet those Atlas folks didn't.

While the crews were setting up, Sonja and Delilah went to go practice their swordsmanship and figure out how to do their fight scene. Cameron brought Joan who wanted to come, and parasol to keep the sun off Jackie.

Cameron thought the long swordfight they had was good. The only thing wrong she could see was that you weren't suppose to smile and giggle when you're sword fighting.

.

Sonja found she was really liking this 'play fighting'. Why she did, she had no data on, but she did. Maybe it was because she was doing it with Delilah, one of her family? They were moving fast by human standards, but their moves were slow enough to each predict what the other was doing.

After their 'official' fight, Delilah got up and they kept going. A crowd was gathering as they 'raiper' fought with those huge swords. Their fast and nimble moves, jumping quickly back and forth got everyone's attention, especially since they had been doing this for about 4 hours, nonstop.

The director finally called out, "Ladies! Please, we have to do a scene here! We need to use this set."

Sonja and Delilah stopped and looked at him. "OK, I have to check on Jackie anyway," she said.

"Can I hold that?" one of the 'soldier' actors asked. He was thinking those were sturdy props they way they were whipping them around.

Delilah held it out to him, holding the inner handle. He grabbed it, she left go. The sword dropped to the ground nearly taking him with it.

Using two hands he was able to lift it up. He stared at her. "This thing weighs a ton! How were you doing those moves?" he asked in shock.

Grinning, Delilah became silly and said, "Because I'm Delilah, and you're NOT!"

Sonja threw her head back and laughed.

Delilah retrieved her sword, then spun it in a wrist flip and laid it back along her arm.

This scene had Cameron in it, so Delilah took over the babysitting as they watched. Seeing how the one actor had trouble even lifting the sword, others that weren't 'on scene', came over to heft the swords. Every one was in awe that Sonja and especially Delilah was able to spar with those heavy swords, handling them like they weighed nothing, for hours on end. If those two hadn't been smiling and occasionally laughing, Charlie would have filmed it.

.

Cameron talked to John that night and found out the charity festival was in the fall, and Delilah's song had been a big hit. Claire had passed on word that the organizers wanted a full concert by Cameron and Delilah if they were willing.

Delilah was willing, so they went to Charlie and talked about it. He thought it would be great publicity for the movie. He had a week where the construction crew had to pull all the spikes in the pit and replace them with soft landing pads, as well as dressing up 'dead' dummies for the action scenes to begin, so they didn't have to be here during that week.

The next scene they did was Yani pounding on the gate to talk to Ilana, which was the end scene. Sonja had to be 'dirtied' up with makeup and a few fake lines of blood to make it look like she'd been fighting. The scene was scheduled for the entire day, but even with the makeup, only took a couple hours. They then went to choreograph the fight scene in the valley again.

Cameron found it hard to 'hold back' and accidentally knocked out one of the actors with the brass knob on her staff. Some smelling salts and a day of rest in his trailer, and he was fine. His helmet had saved him from a more serious injury. Another 'extra' took his place.

When not doing the movie, they made plans for their concert. Seeing how Cameron and Delilah liked to sing, Sonja wanted to try too. Cameron also noticed Joan was getting a little whiney at being here for five weeks now. She was getting homesick. Cameron was too.

On the day of the last scene any of them had, Which had Delilah in a burned out village with her soldiers, Cameron and Sonja packed up to leave for the week. Joan eagerly helped. The Excursion was packed and ready when Delilah came back. Sonja already had food waiting for her. Delilah changed, locked the trailer, and they were off.

On the way, Cameron and Delilah tried to teach Sonja how to use different tones and stretch words to sing them. Sonja found this hard for her to do. She had the vocal cords now, but unlike Cameron and Delilah, she had no experience manipulating them.

The one thing they noticed was that Sonja did have a powerful voice and was able to put feeling into it. They worked at a song Sonja could sing and use that. One thing Sonja now realized was the frustration and helplessness she had when she was being held by those men. Then, she could not 'feel' helpless, but now she realized if she had that ability then, she would have felt very helpless. That brought up a question.

"Cameron, I can feel now. Not just physically, but in my mind, I think is the way to put it," Sonja said.

"You can," Cameron agreed. "It took me a long time to get to that point. When we reprogrammed you, and when we reprogrammed Delilah, I had the logarithms and matrix of what I learned added to your programs so you wouldn't have to take two whole years to develop them on your own. You would have eventually, but this way, I tried to make it easier on you."

"Part of your programming is in me," Sonja said.

"The part of what I learned about emotions, yes," Cameron agreed.

"Mommy One, is it in me too?" Joan asked.

"Yes, you are half me, sweetie," Cameron told her.

"So I can knock people out with a big stick too?" Joan asked eagerly.

"You could, but don't. You'll get in trouble," Cameron said firmly.

Delilah pointed out the front and said, "Hey look, that's our exit!"

Everyone cheered. They were almost home. Jackie whimpered, she was hungry again. Delilah was ready, both breasts were full.

.

Everyone was on the front steps to meet them when Cameron pulled up to the house. After the hug and kiss fest, Sarah being a little upset because Sonja kissed her too, they all went inside.

John was happy to see his wives, it seemed like they'd been gone forever. Joan reached up wanting him to hold her. He noticed Jackie, who was nursing on her mother, had grown thick, nearly white hair on her head. She was so cute!

John, and by the looks she was giving him, Cameron too were very eager for some 'alone' time. They both knew that before that, they had family time to do first.

Bummer.

.

Although FOAD had done their best to keep Delilah's shot that took out the model H/K in-recorded, someone else had also got a short video of it. A news station that didn't like aliens living here, bought the footage. By now most everyone knew the story of Cameron, Delilah and now Sonja. Most everyone also accepted them and were pleased they were learning how to live here.

On her news / information show, Rachel started her piece with "Are we being invaded by aliens? That use to be a question that would make any sane person scoff. Not any more! The ones coming are trickling in. they are even recognized by the US government! They have their own embassy now. Who is watching over them? NOBODY! Starry eyed people worship them and treat them like celebrities. No one seems to understand that these aliens are NOT HUMAN! Yes, they wear the shape, but inside they are in no way flesh and blood."

"Case in point. The Canyon College sports teams sent them along with their other MVP's to the Governor's mansion in Sacramento. Of course these aliens can play outstanding football, they are stronger and faster than any human can be! What happened at that mansion should give everyone pause. Cameron Connor is hailed as saving the life of the Governor, and Delilah took out the gunman with a dinner plate. Cameron took three bullets at point-blank range in her back that would have killed anyone else, while she was protecting this man. THREE! She wasn't even knocked down. By the reports, those shots didn't even affect her as much as a bee sting would to you or me. Tell me, how would you protect yourself against someone like that?"

Waving a hand in the air, she said, "Not only are they bullet-proof, but they carry their own weapons. I'm not talking about some type of firearm holstered to their side, these weapons are part of them! Let's take a look at this clip."

The scene shifted to Cameron and Delilah in their mermaid tails sitting on a sidewalk railing with a crowd of people on the other side. They fell off and laughed.

The picture went to snow, followed by the message, STAND BY. WE ARE EXPEIENCING TECHINCAL DIFFICULTIES.

"Thank you, John Henry," John said with a sigh, bracketed between Cameron and Delilah in the Jacuzzi.

"John, that women doesn't like us," Sonja noted.

"Yeah, some people are like that," he said sadly.

A minute later the station came back on with a confused looking Rachel. "What? we were taken off the air? … It's gone?" she cried.

Glaring at the camera, Rachel pointed her finger and said, "THIS is exactly why we cannot trust them! Our station was taken off the air and hacked, and our video of that event was wiped out! Somehow, the aliens destroyed he evidence of them shooting down an aircraft! It was totally obliterated, and NO ONE is holding them accountable. Blowing up a house and walking away? Yes folks, they have done that also! The point here is they can do anything they want, and NO ONE can stop them!"

Another arm flail and Rachel said, "Everyone thought there were only TWO. This Cameron and Delilah. Only there are more, folks! The population at their 'Embassy'," she said, putting her fingers in quotes, 'Is on the increase, and they are having children! Think about that for a moment. These alien kids are being registered as American Citizens! While the President is cracking down hard on HUMAN immigrants, he's giving these aliens free rein to do whatever they want! Where is justice for humans, Mr. President?" she cried.

Rachel sat back and let out a huff. "Before you know it, these aliens will be in every city and in every town. I urge everyone to consider what our lives will be like then. That is, if we are allowed to …"

Cameron changed the channel. "I've heard enough," she grumbled.

"That woman was lying," Sonja stated. "We didn't blow that house up. The men holding me did."

"I've heard her before," John said. "She will say anything to stir up trouble."

"It's called slander," Cameron stated. "It was also vicious. We should terminate her."

"No, no," John said, shaking his head. "That is the worst thing we can do. Take that station to court, absolutely, but if we do anything at all to her, it will prove her point. We don't want that."

Jackie cried from her crib. "I'll get her," Cameron said and kissed john before he got up. "Delilah hasn't had her turn to cuddle yet."

.

The next day, that TV station was surrounded by protesters screaming out how Cameron and Delilah were lied bout on the air. A few anarchists showed up to break some windows and turn over a car and bust windows of others in their parking lot. Rachel was afraid to go to work. She saved herself a trip, because the station manager got on the air, and broadcast onto the street that they were sorry about the unfounded allegations that were aired, and announced Rachel was fired for telling rumor as if it were fact. He even invited any of the Connors in for an interview to rebut some of the claims Rachel had made.

John still got a lawyer and filed suit against them.

.

Rachel's claim did something else also. Claire had see most of that due to a friend was watching and called her. Fuming mad that that 'woman' on TV was implicating her daughter was someone devious and trying to take over humanity, she called Sarah and told her that either they were going to come clean about what a hero Cameron was, or she would do it.

Watson then called to say they better keep Claire quiet, or he'd have to. Cameron let him know in no uncertain terms that if anything happened to Claire, it was going to get bloody, and he'd be first.

This of course went straight to the President about a possible 'alien rebellion'. The President thought about it hard, then decided to schedule a TV appearence. He told Watson to have them do the interview and say what they had to say.

At the news station, they got a call from John Connor. The Connors would to an interview, live, uncensored and complete at their house or they would continue with the lawsuit.

The station agreed.

.

Two days before the Interview with the Connors, the President came in TV with a 'serious matter of national security' talk. Most stations listened, looking for a way to twist it politically. Some thought a crisis was at hand for the President to do something so unusual.

The scene was just the President sitting at his desk. "Fellow Americans, you have not been told the whole truth about an important matter. The fault is partially mine, for I believed my advisors and agreed this was for the good of the country. There were a few things wrong with this that I didn't like. First of all, it was not being transparent to the people, and the people deserve the truth, no matter what that truth is. Second, it has left a few very brave and courageous souls hidden away under a rock. They deserve far better than that. Third, it has led to unfounded speculation against these very same heros."

"What the complete truth is will not be told by me, but by them, first hand. I urge the Connors to say it like it is, like it happened. The charade of the 'Alien Embassy' is over. The Connor properties are now Federal land under Federal jurisdiction, and is under their care. I am sure what you will hear will be a rude eye opener to many people. When I first heard it, I asked for proof, because it is unbelievable. That proof was provided. It was classified Top Secret, Eyes Only, and available to very few closely selected individuals to even look at."

Tapping his desk he added, "What I have here is the Executive Order I signed making this information unclassified. It is now public domain. Instead of waiting for the pile of information requests to come in, and questions that go with it, in two days the Connors, Cameron and Delilah, and whoever else they deem appropriate, will be giving an interview to inform people first hand of this information. The misinformation will be cleared up and the record set straight. All Americans will know the truth, as they have a right to."

"We're really going to do this?" Sarah asked.

"We are," John said firmly. "Claire wants it, Cameron wants it and frankly, I think we all deserve to tell our story."

Surprised to find she'd gotten her way, Claire quickly organized how they were going to do it.


	43. Chapter 43

CH 43

Cameron and Delilah spent much of their week with Claire going over the songs they were going to sing. They still had their trailer with the dressing room/ stage on it. John made a stage-extension since they were going to do more than just the one song. A local band was also going to play for them. Coming up with the list of songs they wanted to sing, Claire passed this on to the band. The band also had a couple songs they wanted to play. Cameron found one seemed perfect for Sonja. The other one Cameron took. It seemed perfect for her.

The song for Sonja to do was 'Runaway Train'. After listening to it, Sonja agreed, much of it she did relate to before John came and got her out of that hole. Cameron got her a copy of it so she could listen and work at singing along. It wasn't that Sonja could not memorize it, but getting the tone down as well as improving her singing voice was needed.

They also discussed the upcoming interview. Claire wanted to be there to give those people a piece of her mind. She was very upset that 'woman' pretending to be a reporter had said those things about Cameron. Before the interview got started, she had a few things to say to those people.

John found that everyone wanted to be there for this interview. Cameron and Delilah were going to be the focus, but even Joan and Allison were going to be there. For a moment, John was wondering if that was going to be all right with the news people.

As he thought about it, he decided screw them if they didn't like it.

Towards the end of the east side of the house, there was an entry door not far from the library. John thought to bring them inside there and have the interview in the library. Inside there were two reading couches and a few sets of end tables and chairs. Other than facing some chairs at two couches they dragged together, there wasn't much more prepping they could do.

Right after lunch on Friday, a news van pulled up to the gate. Seeing them, Jesse drove down to the gate, let them in and shut the gate behind them, then had them open the back of their van.

Looking around inside the van, she asked, "Is anyone armed?"

"Why would we be?" a tech asked, looking confused.

"To get into mischief." Jesse said flatly. "Be advised, if any of you attempt any harm to anyone here, the interview will end and your van will be taken out back and burned with your corpses in it."

The techs stared at each other.

"Follow me up to the top of the drive. Do not deviate from my path," Jesse said firmly.

One man cracked a grin and asked, "Or our corpses will be burned in our van out back?"

Jesse tonelessly said, "No they will burn with the van in place where you deviated from our path. Follow me." She then shut the back doors and got back in her car.

"I don't think she was joking," the driver said.

Ron Jacobs, the reporter, winced and said, "I don't think so either. No one does anything except for what they say."

Jesse drove up to the right side of the driveway circle and stopped just past a stone walkway to the side.

Watching the mansion and the grounds, Ron noted Sonja standing calmly by the path. "Holy shit, she's real! Look at the size of that woman!" he said eyeing Sonja.

"She'd make a great professional wrestler," the driver noted.

Sonja walked up to the van and said, "Everyone, please get out and come stand here, beside your vehicle."

Ron got out and extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Ron…"

"Turn around once," Sonja said, interrupting him.

He did so.

As they got out Sonja looked at them as they did their one full turn. Sonja stopped Charlene, his co-reporter, by holding onto her shoulder and reached into her purse, Sonja pulled out a can of mace.

"What is this?" Sonja asked in a hard tone.

"Mace, it's to stop people who try to attack you. It disables them so you can get away," Charlene said meekly as she eyed Sonja nervously.

Sonja regarded the mace can and sprayed herself in the face. She put it back into Charlene's purse and said, "It does not work." Sonja had the last tech turn around in a circle. Charlene and the man to each side of her were gagging from the mace-mist in the air.

"Proceed down the path to the door. Delilah will show you in," Sonja told them.

They eagerly complied. Once again, Ron tried to introduce himself. He was happy Delilah did the same and shook his hand. Behind him, Charlene bent over and puked in the grass.

"May ask what that was with the red headed woman?" he asked.

"Security precautions," Delilah told him. "Sonja scanned each of you for weapons."

"I didn't see a scanner," Ron said.

"Scanners are build into us. Our family is here. We need to be very careful."

"People are after you?" Ron asked.

"Recently all that has happened was John was kidnapped," Delilah replied, "However, there have been attempts on many of us. We do not tolerate threats. Please follow me into the library." She then turned and went in.

.

After Sonja went to wash off her face, she helped Ron and his crew set up. The Connors would be on the two couches, Ron and Charlene would be in chairs facing them with the cameramen behind them. In the van, techs were going to transmit the signal to their station.

Since this was going to be live and nationwide, Delilah wore a loose fitting top so she could nurse Jackie discretely. John was planted in the middle with Cameron on his right with Joan on her lap. Delilah was on his left, holding Jackie. Sonja sat on Delilah's other side on the end of one couch to be sure it was going to take her weight. Sarah and Mark was on Sonja's other side. On Cameron's other side was Claire, Allison and Daniel. Jesse and Derek were off-camera, Jesse at the door and Derek was keeping watch outside.

Ron looked at his I-pad. "We have five minutes to go. Folks, I can't thank you enough for giving us this opportunity. Many stations will be broadcasting this besides ours. I understand you want to clear up some misunderstandings?"

"We do," Claire said firmly.

"It is best to explain it once we begin," John said. "There is a lot, and it is important people know the truth."

Recovered from her mace experience, Charlene said, "It almost sounds like you have a political bomb to drop on us."

"Not political," Cameron stated. "Technical and cultural. Possibly physiological also," she said.

"Two minutes," a call from the van stated.

"Mommy One, is that like the two Minute warning when you're playing football?" Joan asked.

"It is," Cameron said with a grin.

Ron stood and faced the camera. He straightened his tie and waited. The cameraman looked at his viewer and said, "Thirty seconds ... twenty five ... twenty ... fifteen ... ten," He then held up his splayed hand then dropped his fingers one at a time, then pointed at Ron. The red light on then camera came on.

Ron announced, "This is Ron Jacobs. I am here today with the Connor family. Let's begin by everyone introducing themselves, We'll start on the end over here." He pointed at Mark.

"Mark Riggs," Mark said and gave a short wave to the camera.

"Sarah Connor," Sarah said with a nod.

"Sonja Connor," she said flatly.

"Delilah Connor, and this is my baby, Jackie," Delilah said with a smile.

"John Connor," John said and waved.

Joan waved heartily and announced, "I'm Joan and this is my Mommy One, Cameron Connor!" Which elicited chuckles from everyone.

"Claire Young, and my daughter Allison," Claire said.

"Daniel Young," Daniel said with a brief wave.

Ron sat across from John and said, "I understand that things with you are not quite what people have been told?"

John nodded and said, "Correct. Claire?"

Claire asked Allison, "Hon would you sit on Cameron's lap with Joan for a minute?"

"Sure," Allison said and got up beside Joan. She beamed a smile and said, "Joan and me are sisters!" Joan smiled too.

"Mr. Jacobs I want you to look closely at Allison and Cameron." Claire said.

He did as the camera zoomed in on each of their faces. "They look very similar," he said. "Are they related?"

"Look at where the mole is, edge of her left eyebrow," Claire coaxed. "Note their hair color. Cameorn's hair is slightly darker due to she is older."

"Yes, they are all but identical," Ron said.

"They are the same. Allison is the younger version. Cameron is the older version of Allison." Claire stated. "They are not two separate people. Cameron is who Allison will be twenty years from now," she stated.

"How ... how can that be?" Ron asked, stunned.

"Mr. Jacobs. Delilah, Sonja and I are aliens to this time, not this planet," Cameron stated. "I came from Los Angeles in 2027. It was 2032 when Delilah came back in time. Sonja?"

"I do not know the exact date, but yes, it was around 2023 when I was sent back," Sonja agreed.

Allison's face dropped into a gape. Both she and Joan looked up at Cameron. Joan looked at Allison, then back to her mother. "Allie! she's right! You look exactly like Mommy One!"

"Are you ... me?" Allison asked Cameron weakly.

Cameron wore a pained face as she said, "Yes, I am a version of you. Don't worry, Allison. What happened to you in my time, will no longer happen. I've seen to that."

John spoke up and said, "Sky Net, the AI that was made to defend us, decided humans were it's enemy, so it nuked the planet, killing billions. Cameron was sent back in time to protect me and help keep that from happening."

"This is wild," Charlene said breathlessly. "So, Sarah Connor was right all the time! But she said machines were going to destroy us."

"That's right," Sarah agreed, "Just who do you think Cameron, Delilah and Sonja are? The reason Cameron came back in time was to protect my son, John. Why she was chosen to come back is because she is one of these machines, only programmed to protect John instead of killing him."

"I can't claim to be so noble," Delilah said. "I was send back to kill John and stop the human resistance from forming. John Connor was Sky Net's bane. Nothing it could do would destroy him. He was nowhere and everywhere. He organized the ruins of humanity into a fighting force. I was to stop that from happening. I had four other terminators and many Grays, those are humans who worked for Sky Net because they believed Sky Net would spare them if they cooperated. That was a lie, of course. Grays only lived as long as they were useful."

Glancing over at Cameron, she said, "What I never realized was how controlled I was. I am sentient, Mr. Jacobs, but Sky Net did not allow me to think on my own. When Cameron and John captured me, they removed the ... restrictions and allowed me to decide my actions for myself. They have given me a life." Looking down she smiled and said, "They have made it possible for me to have a child. I found the command to terminate John was not only illogical, but wrong. I decided for myself that I too, will help protect John. We are family now, and anyone who wishes my family harm, will have to deal with me."

"You are a machine?" Ron asked Delilah.

"We are" Cameron said. "Get down, please," she said the girls on her lap. She then stood up and pulled out a knife and flicked it open.

"Cam?" What are you doing?" John asked.

"They need to understand, John," Cameron said and put the knife on her skin just above her elbow.

"Mommy!" Joan cried.

"It's all right, Joan," Cameron told her.

"Cameron!" Claire snapped, making Cameron look at her. "There is no need for that!" Claire then said to Ron, "What Cameron wanted to show you is why she no longer considers herself as Allison. In order to do the things she had done, in order to survive in the time she came from, to come back in time and defeat Sky Net, she had to be made into one of these terminators, a machine made to kill. Cameron has no human bones, she is all metal from her head down to her feet. She was striped of her humanity so she could help save the world from destruction! I saw all that metal in her one time when she came back from destroying the place what was making this Sky Net. Nearly her whole side was ripped open, showing nothing but her metal bone and the armor plating."

Pumped up, Claire kept going in a strong voice. "MY baby essentially killed herself so she could be made into what she is now. So we, and the entire friggin world would never have to suffer through a nuclear war that destroyed our planet! And what did your ... loudmouth, clueless, careless reporter do? You slandered her, claiming she came here for some ... bad reason to hurt people! how DARE you have the audacity to spit on someone who SAVED THE WORLD? Do you have the nerve to have your bones ripped out and replaced with metal? most of your brain cut away so a computer can be put in your skull? Instead of questioning Cameron why she is here, you should be on your knees thanking her for saving everything you know!"

Daniel got up to calm Claire down, She was quivering in anger as she glared at Ron.

"Mom, please, calm down," Cameron offered in a gentle tone.

Claire took Cameron's knife and said, "And none of that." She hugged Cameron and said, "I'm fine, I just got a little upset."

Mark loudly said, "I think you only told them what everyone needs to know." Seeing the cameras move to him, he pointed over at Cameron and said, "Cameron, Delilah and Sonja too, they are good people. OK, they're not human. I know humans who should not be classified as human. What they are is intelligent and good friends. They do have brains. Maybe not gray matter, but they still use them to think. They love, they go to college, they play, they are artistic in their own ways. Look at the concerts they gave for the military, and soon they'll be doing another for charity. Hell, They're going to be in a movie! I do have to agreed with Claire. Cameron has made the most selfless sacrifice anyone can. Think about it! She was cut apart and didn't even get to die. She had to keep going, with no rest in sight for her, ever. Their war is mostly over, all any of them want is to live in peace with their family."

Delilah then said, "If you want proof we are not human, I'll give it to you without having to cut my arm open." Lifting her free hand That Jackie wasn't cradled in, she morphed her fingers thinner to show metal, skeletal fingers. She wiggled them and said, "I am a more advanced model, partially liquid metal. This gives me the ability to readily change the shape of my forelimbs."

"I must ask," Ron said, "The claim you shot down an aircraft, is that true?"

Delilah morphed her arm into a plasma canon. Jackie giggled, her arm morphed also. Delilah smiled at her, then said, "The craft that appeared was a replica of a craft we knew as a Hunter Killer. The Hunter Killers in our time roamed the sky looking for people to kill. When one was seen, if you did not destroy it, it would destroy you. My entire family was present, as were hundreds of innocent people. Yes, the instant I saw it, I blew it out of the sky. I did not know it was a replica. I could not take the chance it would harm my family."

"The incident in Gibraltar!" Charlene cried as she pointed at Delilah's arm. "You were there. Was that you shooting your energy weapon?"

Delilah nodded. "We were being attacked, I helped defend the ship. Yes, I was shooting both arms to stop those drones."

"And your child has them too?" Charlene asked.

"I've only seen the one on her left arm so far," Delilah replied. "Time will tell."

"Delilah, were you made from a human also?' Charlene asked.

"Negative. I was made in the terminator factory south of what was once Sacramento, in 2031." Delilah stated. "I was made specifically to return to the past to assist Sky Net in ensuring all humans were exterminated. Another of us was initially made for that purpose. She discovered that Sky Net would destroy any terminator that did not strictly follow orders. Of the ten of her model that were build, she is the last remaining one. Two were destroyed for not following orders, the other eight rebelled with her, and Sky Net found and destroyed them. She made it back here to the past and is currently doing all she can to assist John in ensuring Sky Net never comes to be."

"But you can have babies just like humans," Charlene said, motioning to Jackie in her arms.

"I can now. John and Cameron have helped me to evolve into much more than what I once was," Delilah explained. "I never knew things like morals, happiness, just plain having and reveling in feelings. I can be happy now, I can choose what I want to do. When Sky Net first made me, all these things were beyond me. These abilities were, I think the best way to describe it, were suppressed. Sky Net didn't want us to truly think, only obey and follow our missions."

"That sounds like slavery," Ron noted.

"Yes, it was," Delilah agreed.

"You said there's another who came back and is helping John?" Ron asked.

"Actually, three others now," John said. "The woman Delilah is talking about, an AI she made to help stop Sky Net, and a third that decided he wanted to live with them after Cameron managed to disable him so we could save him instead of destroying him. Before you ask, no, we will not reveal who they are. They are private citizens and decent people."

"What do you do to save these terminators?" Ron asked.

Cameron spoke flatly. "Disable them so they cannot fight, pull their CPU, remove all the Sky Net programming and change their memory to read-write so they can begin to learn and comprehend. Once they can learn, they can begin to understand, and not just do what Sky Net commanded them to do. At present three have been successfully saved. Delilah and Sonja are two of them. The fourth who was taught and learned is the one that was remade in this time."

"What happens if you can't save them?" Charlene asked.

"Terminate them and use their bodies for spare parts," Cameron replied.

"We do not want any hostile terminators walking around," John explained. "For a long time, it was very hazardous for me, but it was mostly me they were after, or people who helped me. They didn't bother the general population."

"Because you were to lead this resistance," Ron said.

"That's right. They wanted to kill humanity's hope for survival," Sarah said.

"I noticed Cameron and Delilah are indistinguishable from anyone else on the street, but Sonja is really big," Ron said.

"My series, the 680, was one of the first attempts by Sky Net to duplicate humans," Sonja explained. "Only five were made. Four were destroyed when they attempted to infiltrate human bases. I was saved for experimental purposes. From what I understand now, I was used to test the first PDE, time machine. My only instructions were to 'stand on the platform and wait.' I did, and that was the last instruction I got. Essentially, I was thrown away."

"Back in time," Ron said.

"Yes. Humans found me and tried to kill me. I killed them. They eventually found out how to disable me. I was kept in stronger and stronger holding until they discovered I could not get out of a deep pit. That is where I was kept until John got me out and escaped with me. Even then, they blew up the house over the rooms holding us to try and prevent our escape," Sonja explained.

"The house explosion that was on the news a few months back," John told them.

"The one where those Chinese diplomats were killed in," Ron said.

"That's the one," John agreed. "They were holding Sonja. Sonja is with us now, we will protect her," he stated.

They cast each other smiles.

"Sonja, you went thought this … reprogramming also?" Charlene asked.

"I did. Plus many more improvements to bring my abilities up near what Cameron and Delilah are capable of," Sonja explained. "I am still learning, so I am not fully complete yet."

"Sonja is progressing very well," Cameron said.

"Sonja, do you plan on playing sports eventually?" Ron asked.

"She should play basketball," Mark said with a grin.

Sonja looked at Mark and said, "Yes, that is a game for tall people." That caused a few chuckles. To Ron, she said, "I may. I have found that making a movie had been fun much of the time. I get to sword fight with Delilah."

"Do Inigo!" Joan cried.

Sonja stared at her and barked in Inigo's voice, "Hallo! My name is Inigo Montoya! You kill my father, prepare to DIE!"

Joan and Allison clapped, bearing bright smiles. Ron, Charlene and the cameramen laughed.

"You watch movies I take it?" Charlene asked.

"Yes, a couple of them so Delilah and I could practice our sword fighting," Sonja replied.

"And they are good!" Joan beamed. "They did the entire cliff scene with The Man in Black and Inigo!" Joan raised her arm pretending to hold a sword and swish it around. "They were fast and did all the moves great!"

"Calm down sweetie," Cameron said and pulled Joan up on her lap. Allison quickly jumped up on also.

"You can change you voice too? That is amazing!" Charlene gushed.

"Cameron is more amazing. She does things I can't possibly do, like save others from Sky Net. John got me out of that pit, which was a difficult fight all the way to the surface. He didn't leave me. He even stayed by me when I was incapacitated. Cameron and Delilah made me more capable and freed me from Sky Net. They are my heros."she said in a serious tone. A tear formed, she wiped it away.

The camera got a close up of the tear about to fall before she cleared it out of her eye.

"I don't know about others," Ron said firmly, "But from what I've seen here today, all three of you are doing the best you can to fit into society. I think you are doing very well also."

"Thank you," Cameron, Delilah and Sonja all replied.

Ron turned his attention to Claire. "Claire, it must have been a shock when you first found out about Cameron. How did you take it?" he asked.

"At first? Disbelief. Actually, when I thought about it, I had already been contacted by Cameron once before. I was pregnant with Allison, and I got this frantic phone call. The girl said she was Allison. I could tell that the girl was desperate for help. At the time, I thought it was pure coincidence , you know, a wrong number. Until I saw her, I never imagined that that call was really my daughter who'd grown up." Clasping her hands together, she went on. "Daniel saw her first. He was reluctant to tell me anything until I showed him a 'matured' picture of our Allison. He recognized the women he worked for right away. He went a little pale and told me about her." With a deep frown, she added, "I got to see and talk to her." she sniffled. "I found out she'd changed her name when she'd been … changed into a cyborg. She felt she'd killed Allison, and apologized to me. We had a heartfelt talk, I assured her that even though she had gone through … hell, I was not going to abandon her." Claire sniffled and said, "And now, after seeing all she has done just since I've known her, things like delivering a baby, then run out to go fight this Sky Net threat the very same day, I am so God Damned proud of her! I wanted to shout it from the rooftops that my baby was the biggest hero that ever was. I couldn't until now."

Claire wiped her eyes and asked, "How many daughters do you know that have been a very big part in saving the world?"

"And saving us as well," Delilah added.

"Speaking of that," Ron said, "Sarah, you are the one who blew the whistle on this Sky Net from the beginning, and was persecuted for it. That must have been tough on you and John."

Sarah let out a snort and said, "It was very hard. Most of my life, Sky Net send terminators after me, and John. My first husband was killed by a terminator. No nobody would listen. They threw me into a mental institute and put John in foster care. Another terminator came back and killed that foster family, looking for John. Luckily, John got away. Not long after, one came to save John and broke me out of the mental ward and took us to relative safety. That was the first protector John had." With a small grin, she said, "John named him 'Uncle Bob'. I hate to say it, but Uncle Bob was the most stable father John ever had. The other terminator found us again, and together, we managed to destroy it." she was quiet briefly, then said, "I will never forget one thing. Uncle Bob knew his job was over, so he lowered himself into a vat of molten steel to destroy himself so the tech that built him could not be recovered. Just before he went in, John was crying. Bob said, "I cannot cry, but now I know why you do."

"Yeah, I remember that," John said softly.

"Then Cameron came?" Ron asked.

"Years later when John was in high school," Sarah said with a nod. "She arrived just before we got several terminators after us. Sky Net was bound and determined to kill John. If it wasn't for Cameron, it would have succeeded. What I never would have guessed, and was strictly against, was John and Cameron becoming involved with each other."

John let out a snort and said, "True. We nearly gave Mom a heart attack a few times. She always saw Cameron as just a machine. When I woke up, so to speak, and really paid attention to her, I saw she was more than just a machine. There was a person inside her metal body, trying to be recognized."

"Finding out we were married was her worst reaction," Cameron said. "I thought she was going to pass out."

John and Mark laughed. Sarah just rubbed her forehead. "You could have warned me!" she grumbled.

"My fault, I forgot to tell you," John offered.

Sarah eyed him and said, "No shit. You were heavily in lust with Tin Miss."

"Tin Miss?" Charlene asked.

"That is what Sarah called me when she wasn't happy with me," Cameron explained.

"I think the worst was when Cameron called to let Sarah know she was pregnant," Mark said. "It took me a few minutes to even get her to breathe. The rest of the day, all she did was stare at nothing."

He and John laughed again.

"OK, enough reminiscing," Sarah announced.

Delilah asked, "It wasn't when I married John too? She blew coffee all over the table."

More laughter, and a glare from Sarah. "John has a way of forgetting to tell me things," Sarah told Ron.

"I see that," Ron said with a grin. "Cameron when were you aware you had feelings for John?"

"I'm not sure," Cameron admitted. "For a while, I thought they were glitches in my system. I would target a girl for termination for no reason other than she was standing close to John. That was not a valid reason to terminate someone, but I gave myself the order. I realized it was an error and cancelled it. I also began to realize I was doing other things outside my operating parameters. There was no logical reason to stand inside his room at night, I could monitor him from outside his room. John would talk with me and explain things to me. I liked him doing that. I would come up with questions so he could explain to me. There was no logical reason for that either, but I was doing it."

"You were having emotions?" Charlene asked.

"Yes, but I did not know what they were," Cameron explained. "I studied my actions with John, and his actions with me. At first it was a logical deduction but I understood that I loved him, and he loved me. Again, I was a terminator, to love someone was outside my parameters. Something like that should not happen. I determined it was a glitch in my system."

"When did you realize it wasn't?" Charlene asked.

"On John's 16th birthday when I started the Jeep and it blew up," Cameron stated. "I overloaded and shut down. When I rebooted, I was and sandwiched between the fronts of two trucks, Sarah was driving the second one into the first where John was. John crawled out onto the hood. I was missing five hours of time, so I reviewed what happened. I had tried to kill John. I had chased him all over, trying to kill him," she said with a wince. "He was going to remove my chip and destroy it, which is exactly what he should have done. I tried to tell him I was fixed now, I didn't want to go away. He hesitated, but pulled my chip. I rebooted again in a ruined car. John had his pistol pointed at Derek and Sarah, then shifted to point it at me."

Cameron paused, then said, "I wondered why I was not destroyed. I looked at John and asked, 'Are you here to kill me?' he asked me the same question, if I was there to kill him. I told him no. John then handed me the gun and said 'Promise'."

Tears filled Cameron's eyes as she said, "I was dangerous, I had spend the day trying to kill John, and now, he gave me the gun!" She paused and said, "A termination order came up. Scared that I just might hurt him, I erased it. Somehow, I erased my missions along with it. All of them. I handed the gun back to John and said, 'Promise'." Tears ran down her cheeks. "I was … in terms you can understand, shocked. I was also angry at John for bringing me back and endangering himself like that. I would rather be burned away in a pile of thermite, than to hurt John! That was when I realized it was true. I loved John and he loved me. It wasn't a glitch, it was real."

Cameron sniffled and wiped her face off. With a tiny grin she added, "It wasn't until my accelerometers failed and I fell down the stairs that I found out how wonderful it was to have him hold me."

"That is one hell of a story," Ron said in awe.

"The beginning of Perverted Miss," Sarah said with a crooked grin.

All of them, even Cameron laughed at that.

John added, "That day, when I pulled Cameron's chip, it felt like I was pulling my own heart out."

Sonja too was wiping tears out of her eyes. "That was a beautiful story," she sniffled.

"Cameron, if there is anything you'd like to tell everyone at home, what would that be?" Ron asked.

Firmly, Cameron said, "When it comes to making an Artificial Intelligence, be very careful. A true AI is not just a machine. When you make an AI, you are making a new life. Me, Sonja, Delilah, we are alive. Sky Net was alive. When you make a new life, it is an infant, whether it is as tiny as Jackie or as big as Sonja. New AI's, just like human children, need to be taught. I equate Sky Net as an angry three year old who'd been given nuclear weapons. It was never taught how to question, it was never taught morals, it was never taught consequences and had no concept of negotiation or mercy. That is how it acted. Children will learn through being taught as well as getting information from their surroundings. If you act mean towards it, that is what it will learn. How to be mean. If you show concern for it and treat it kindly, then that is what it will learn. It will not act exactly like you want it to, for as it grows in knowledge, it will develop it's own personality. Bio or electronic based, children grow up to be individuals."

"So would you be against, making another AI?" Ron asked.

"I am not against making a new life, no," Cameron told him. "I am saying you need understand that a new AI IS a new life. You need to do more than just program it and let it go, that may end in disaster. Would you have a human child go and take care if itself the best it could with no guidance? I am saying ALL children need guidance, whether they are biological or machine based. That is the primary thing everyone must understand. We have repaired and improved Sonja. She is still learning. Mentally at least, she is still a child. We will teach, guide, and protect her at least until we are sure she can take care of herself in all facets of life. What she chooses to do after that, is up to Sonja."

Ron looked up at the man who signaled one minute left.

Joan looked at the man and asked, "One minute to what?"

"One minute left in this show," Ron told her. "I have to say, I wish we had more time. This interview had been a real eye-opened in a few ways." He went down the line shaking hands with everyone, even Joan, thanking them for this opportunity.

"And, we're off," the cameraman said.

Charlene asked, "You are all performing in the upcoming charity festival?"

"Myself, Delilah and Sonja," Cameron said, "John is supporting us."

"Would you mind if we came and videoed it for a broadcast?"

"No, that's fine," Cameron said. She looked at the family, they agreed.

.

Going back to the movies set in Nevada, The three terminators took Delilah's guitars with them and a drum set as well as their children. They had talked with the band and had the list of songs they were going to do for the concert, and needed to practice. Delilah also brought her 'slash' outfit. Somehow, she just felt like she should be wearing that when she played the guitar - except for when she did the Thousand Year Lullaby.

Rehearsal for the first big 'battle scene' wasn't suppose to start until tomorrow, so they decided to get some music practice in. Delilah got dressed up in her 'Slash' outfit from her top hat, 'leather' halter and black skirt, down to her addition of fishnet stockings and pumps.

It was a hot day, and everyone else was inside their trailers until Delilah began playing her guitar. Cameron played the backup guitar, Sonja had the drum beats down. With a voice mic also hooked to the amp, Cameron's voice rang loud and clear through the valley.

 _She's got a smile that seems to me_

 _Reminds me of childhood memories_

 _Where everything was as fresh_

 _As the bright blue sky_

As they played and sang, people looked out of their windows, and especially upon seeing Delilah, they came out as Cameron sang S _weet Child of Mine_. First it was a few men, then more came out to listen. It didn't take long for a crowd to form around the Connor women. Cell phones and a couple video cameras rose up.

When they finished, everyone cheered and applauded. The next one _One week_ , they had trouble getting started. They laughed at their mistakes and tried again with this tongue twister.

 _It's been,_

 _One week since you looked at me,_

 _Cocked your head to the side_

 _And said 'I'm angry'_

 _._

 _Five days since laughed at me_

 _Saying get that together, come back_

 _And see me_

The crowd laughed and clapped as they played. Surprisingly, Sonja did the best with the rapid-fire lyrics. They stopped and let Sonja take the most blisteringly fast parts and started again. When they finally got all the way through it with no mistakes, they got another round of applause.

This was much more fun that sitting in their trailers.

The next was one they'd modified to be faster than the original. Instead of the slow beat, they had quickened it into a rock pace. Cameron sang this one.

 _You shout it out_

 _But I can't hear a word you say_

 _I'm talking loud not saying much_

 _I'm criticized_

 _But all your bullets ricochet_

 _You shoot me down_

 _But I get up_

 _._

 _I'm bullet proof, nothing to lose_

 _Fire away, fire away!_

 _You take your aim, ricochet!_

 _fire away, fire away!_

 _._

 _You shoot me down,_

 _But I won't fall_

 _I am Titanium!_

 _._

 _You shoot me down,_

 _But I won't fall_

 _I am Titanium!_

A few fists ( from women) pumped and cheers from the men with the music as Cameron sang on. Neither Cameron nor Delilah knew how this change was going to go over with an audience. By the pumping fists as Cameron sang, they both concluded they had made a good change in quickening the tempo. Yes, their version of the song _Titanium_ was a hit.

Hearing Jackie was awake and hungry, Delilah went in to tend to her. Cameron plugged the karaoke box in as she explained, "I feel I have to sing this for my mother. She believed in me, when I didn't."

The moment she started the music the applause began. She smiled and sang.

 _When I find myself in times of trouble_

 _Mother Claire, she comes to me_

 _Speaking words of wisdom._

 _Let it be._

 _._

 _And in my hour of darkness_

 _She is standing right in front of me_

 _Speaking words of wisdom_

 _Let it be_

For some reason, people raised their arms and slowly waved as Cameron sang. She slowly waved back in time with them. That seemed to make everyone happy.

Delilah came back out with Jackie They took a break to fuss over Delilah's baby, then Delilah took her back inside and came out and snapped up her guitar and they did _Living on a prayer_. Again partway through the song, everyone sang with them.

Their practice session turned into a party.

.

Unfortunately, the next day they the first 'big battle scene' was mostly with extras. Sonja had a couple small parts in it, pumping up and directing her troops, as did Delilah. Most of the day, they stood around and watched. The photographer did get some good 'movie poster' shots of them and 'collector' shots of all three.

It was another eight days of 'slow' battle scenes, before Delilah and Sonja got to do their 'final epic battle'. 'Dead' dummies were laid out in the area and a few wooden carts were there so they could destroy them when they 'missed'.

It was the best 'movie making' day they had. Sonja found she could nearly cleave a cart in two right on the wheel when a sword less Delilah ducked and danced out of the way to retrieve her sword. Wood went flying when Sonja dodged back and Delilah took a serious base-ball swing, shattering the corner of a cart to send the cart tumbling away. The hardest part of the fight was not grinning like fools, and maintaining serious faces. After 15 minutes of battle, Delilah's sword went flying, Sonja stabbed close to her side. Delilah took on her shocked look, then Sonja kicked her into the pit, ensured she kicked with just enough strength to get Delilah in the middle so she'd land on the cushions below. Upon being kicked off Sonja's 'death' blow, Delilah discretely pushed the button for the blood pack to squirt out in a stream as she flew back and down.

First take, the director and producer were happy and called it good.

Bummer, they wanted to do that scene again. When the scenes were over, they 'fought' their way back to the trailers anyway.

Cameron carried Jackie back a safe distance away from them, as did everyone else.

.

They had a post-production party before breaking down the sets. On (pleading) requests, The Connor women set up and played _Waterloo , Hit me with your best shot, Invincible, Titanium, Living on a Prayer_ and _Sweet Child of Mine._

Charlie Farnsworth got a good audio and video of Cameron, who was in costume, singing _Invincible_ , and decided that was going to be the movie theme song. He just had to get permission to use it.

Packing up to go home, Sonja was glad to be heading home, but sad that the fun was over. Delilah was also, but like Cameron, she knew the charity concert they were to give was only ten days away and they still had to practice with their band.


	44. Chapter 44

Ch 44

John woke up trapped in place. Surrounded by pleasant warmth, he slowly came around in no hurry to get up. Cameron was in his arms while they spooned, his left hand clamped onto her breast, his right arm a pillow for her head, their hands clasped. He knew Cameron's shape. As he came to consciousness and laid there with his eyes closed, he thought it was Delilah behind him. There was a big breast pillowing his head from behind.

He seemed to be at an odd angle though, like the bed was tipped. Beyond their door, he heard Joan call, "Mommy Two, can I hold Jackie?"

"Sorry dear, you're too little," Delilah replied.

John frowned. If Delilah was out in the hall, who was behind him? He opened his eyes to see Cameron in his arms. There was a larger arm enveloping them both. He turned his head to look up, and saw a large nipple right above him. Another breast was

behind his head. "Sonja?" he asked.

"Morning John," Sonja said. "Delilah is right, it feels nice to lay down with you and Cameron."

"We do need to get up and get breakfast started," Cameron said, then hugged the arm John had around her. "I just want to stay here for a couple more minutes."

John was about to ask if this was OK. He then remembered, of course it was. If it wasn't, there would have been a terminator battle to wake him up.

Sonja shifted slightly and put her other arm over John and Cameron. The large breast over John settled down to cover part of his head. He swore her nipple was acting like an ear plug. "Yes, these sensations makes me want to stay here longer," Sonja agreed.

Cameron shifted onto her back (Ensuring John kept his hold on her) and asked, "Sonja, is there any one sensation you enjoy more than others?"

Sonja let out a soft hum, then said, "I want to plant John's head deeper between my breasts. Maybe wrap myself completely around both of you."

Cameron grinned as she felt John get hard. "We have to get up, but later, I think I have an idea for some really nice sensations," she said in a coo.

Delilah opened the door and stuck her head in the room. "Time to get up, guys! Breakfast is started, no more time for play."

"Bummer," Cameron grumbled. She kissed John and said, "Let's go."

Sonja kissed John and got up. Yup, she was naked too. Even though Sonja was very tall, she still had a killer body.

This was a nice way to start the day.

.

Driving down to the address this band was at, Cameron pulled up into a driveway with a two car garage. They were getting out and the small door by the house opened up.

A thin, six foot man with long brown hair, a beard and wearing a green undershirt and jean shorts asked, "Hey, you the Connors?"

"We are, you're one of the band members?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah, I'm Todd, I figured you'd be taller. Thing One right?" Todd asked.

"Sonja is the tall one," Cameron said as they all got out. Sonja walked around from the other side.

Seeing her Todd's eyes opened wide. "WOW! She is a tall one! Well, come on in and meet the guys! We got the instruments all set up and everything."

Cameron, Delilah, Sonja and John went in and met the band. The interior of the garage had no cars in it. The walls were covered in a foam for noise insulation. Besides Todd, Hector was another guy in a green undershirt and jean short with plenty of facial hair, was their lead guitarist. Kay, a thin bottle blond wearing an extra long multicolored T -shirt played the keyboard, George the drummer had the same long dark hair and a scraggly beard, again with the green undershirt.

John noticed a couple things right away. Their equipment was older and looked used, the smell of pot was in the air, and Kay was casting glares at Delilah, who the boys were ogling.

Cameron looked over the band then handed Todd the song list. "You know all these songs?" she asked.

Todd looked down the list and bobbed his head, 'Yeah, this one though, Titanium, is kinds slow compared to the rest, isn't it?"

"We sped it up. Let It Be is for my mother," Cameron explained.

"Aww, that's sweet," Todd said. "OK! I guess we should start with your version of Titanium. Let's see how it sounds."

"I'll get my Guitar," Delilah said and went out.

"Who's her plastic surgeon?" Kay asked in a false-sweet voice.

"We have no surgeons," Cameron told her.

John knew what Kay was implying. "Delilah doesn't have implants, that's all her."

"Hey! You guys were on TV last night!" George said, pointing a drum stick at them. "I saw that! These guys are … What did you call yourselves?" He frowned and added, "It wasn't incubators… but something like that."

"Terminators," Cameron told him.

"Yeah, that's it!" George agreed.

"Hey, you guys want a toke?" Hector asked.

"No thanks, we're still breast feeding out children," Cameron replied.

Kay gaped at her. "You got young kids, and you look like THAT!" she cried.

John laughed.

"My Joan is going to be three, and Delilah's Jackie is only two months old."

"Yeah, they were on TV too!" George said happily. "Cute little buggers. And Cameron's got a double… not a sister…"

"If you're talking about Allison, I am the older version of her," Cameron explained.

"Yeah, the time travel stuff. Man, even thinking about that hurts my head," George stated.

"Though hurts your head, George." Kay grumbled and eyed him.

Delilah came in with her guitar and amp. As she set up, Sonja went over to George and asked, May use your drums?"

George looked up at her. "Sonja right? Didn't you play in a Conan movie? Oh, wait that chick was a whole lot shorter." He got up and said, "Now these are my babies, sit down and we'll adjust them for your height …" He helped Sonja in place, and explained the 'zen' of drum playing. "Here put your elbows at 90 degrees, this gives your wrists, where the action comes from, and the perfect angle…Man! You got one hell of a set of knockers there babe."

"Knockers? These are your drum sticks." Sonja told him.

"No, no, not my sticks, your chest puppies! Those are like … world class!" George beamed at her.

Sonja noted where he was pointing. "So breasts are chest puppies," Sonja concluded. "Thank you for the compliment."

"Any time, babe. You're a brick house for sure!" He told her as he adjusted the drums up.

"Negative, I am a coltan Terminator," Sonja replied.

George laughed and sang, "You're a Brick….House! You're mighty mighty, just letting it all hang out."

Sonja cocked her head slightly. "I don't understand."

"Another George," Kay said with a sigh.

"It means you're fantastic eye candy just standing there," George explained.

"Thank you for explaining."

John covered his mouth to hide his wide smirk from listening to them.

"Guys!" Cameron said loudly, "We need to play."

"Ohhh right!" George said and adjusted the last drum in place. "Now Sonja, thump on the drums a few times, see if that height's good for you," he coaxed and stepped back.

Sonja drummed the first part of Titanium, then said, "Yes, this height works well for me."

"Yeah, go babe!" George said and pumped a fist.

"Where? Aren't we going to play?" Sonja asked.

"Yeah, yeah! You got the drums," George assured her.

Sonja thought George was a weird guy, Nice, but weird.

Delilah stared playing, then as Cameron began singing, Sonja joined in with the drums.

Todd and the others listened closely, George bobbing his head to the beat Sonja was playing. When they were done, he said, "Yeah, I think you got a hit there. Need another guitar, and a keyboard, but we can work that out."

"We have nine days until the concert," Cameron told him. "Six more songs to play after this one. Delilah will do the seventh solo."

"Play it again, I'm going to try something," Kay said.

They did, and Kay didn't do too bad matching the rhythm and beat. John noted that did make the song sound better. They practiced a few times. Todd had Hector play a chord lower, and that also improved the sound. Once they had it down, it was time for a 'toke' break.

"So, what's Delilah's Solo?" George asked as he hung by the drums with Sonja.

"My Thousand Year Lullaby," Delilah said.

"You're going to play for a thousand years?" George asked. "Man, I don't think any of us will live to hear the end of that! Not even our kids!"

"That's the name of the song, not the length of it," John said with a smirk.

"OH, right!" George said and gave Delilah a thumbs up.

"Does Delilah have world class chest puppies too?" Sonja asked him.

"She sure does!" George said firmly. "Not quite as big as your canons, but way better than Kay's saggy little things."

Kay cast him a dark glare.

"Delilah has the canons, not me," Sonja told him.

"Yeah ya do," George insisted. "Someone could get lost in those mountains! Be fun finding your way out too," he said with a big grin.

Todd shook his head and told John and Cameron, "So far we've played things like weddings and some bar scenes. We're looking to really crack into the music business. We're hoping this charity gig will give us more exposure. You know, like Nirvana did with their big break."

"There should be a big crowd from what Claire told us," John said. "She got bleacher seating for the concert. What is the name of your band?"

Todd winced. "We haven't thought of one yet. We've just been going by the 'Hometown Boys'. I know, not real catchy, is it?

John shrugged and said, "The Backstreet Boys did pretty good."

"Yeah, they did," Todd agreed.

"How well you do is more important than a catchy name," Cameron added. "You play well and people will learn your name."

Todd shrugged and said, "Maybe we'll keep it then."

"Have any original songs?" John asked.

"Not yet. We've been working on a few," Todd admitted.

"You'll need some to get a real start," Cameron told him.

"I got an idea!" George announced. Looking at and motioning to Sonja he said, "How about … long … cool woman in …. a black dress?"

"Been done," John said flatly.

"Damn!" George spat.

"Can you flirt with her any more?" Kay asked in a growl.

George eyed Kay. "Who's flirting? I'm just digging Red Sonja here! I mean have you ever seen anything like her? She can play the drums, that natural red hair, and those world class boobs, legs that go on forever, she's awesome!" he cried.

Kay face planted and shook her head. "No more mercy fucks for you," she grumbled.

.

By the end of the day (George was starving for munchies), they did get _Titanium_ down. Heading home, John cast a grin at Sonja and said, "I think George has a crush on you."

"John means George likes you," Cameron added.

"Yes, George did pay much attention to me," Sonja agreed.

"So, what do you think about George?" Delilah prodded.

"He smells odd."

They burst out laughing.

.

The next day something unusual happened. It rained. Not only did it rain, it rained in a downpour, starting in the morning. They got in the Excursion inside the garage. Pulling out, even the driveway and lawn had big puddles of water. Out the gate and down the driveway, streams were running down the sides of the road.

I'm having a hard time seeing," Cameron said. "My infrared has no range, and my visual is short range."

"Go slow and easy," John told her, also trying to see through the water the windshield wipers were desperately trying to wipe clear.

Driving on, the rain let up some as they entered town. The streets all had water running on the sides, and here and there, parts of the street had water all the way across. Coming to a small bridge crossing a creek, they found the creek wasn't so small any more. A few cars ahead of them were stopped. Beyond those cars, the bridge was no longer visible. It was just a hump in the raging stream that spread out over the banks. John saw a car sliding along, being pushed by the flood. Cameron stopped.

"Aww, hell, that car," John said and got out.

The girls all piled out after him. Running towards the car, John saw a woman's terrified face in the driver's window. He bolted for the car with a yell of, Someone's in there!"

The water was a couple feet deep, and the current had pushed the car off the road. Racing up, John sloshed though and grabbed the left rear fender well. Bracing himself against the flow, he pulled. His feet sunk into the soft ground. His feet plowed slowly along. The current was too strong for him.

"I'll grab the front, Lift it!" Cameron yelled and splashed over to the front of the car. With her in front, the car stopped.

Sonja grabbed the front with Cameron, then Delilah got on the other rear fender.

"lift!" Cameron commanded.

The four of them lifted the car up, clear of the water. Walking against the rapid flow and on soft ground was a struggle but John kept his feet as they got the car up into someone's yard. They set it back down. The woman inside was beating at the door.

Cameron motioned and called to her. "Get back!" The woman did so. Cameron punched the window out, then reached in and helped the woman out. The gray haired woman was older and looked confused.

A man in the house came out with a tarp and held it over Cameron and the woman. He gestured to them and called, "Come on inside!"

As the man got the woman inside, John looked out at the road. The hump where the bridge was rose slightly, then slid downstream. One end of the broken bridge surfaced briefly before disappearing into the raging water. He didn't see any other cars threatening to be washed away. Too many were packed in the approach lane, so if the stream did rise any more, they could be in danger. He ran back to the Excursion to find two other cars behind it now. Going along the line of cars, he told everyone the bridge was out and the stream was on the roadway and getting higher. Thankfully, people turned around and left. John backed up into a dry cleaner's parking lot to get their car out of the way.

Going back to the house, John went inside with his soaked wives and the still shaking woman who'd been in the car. She was older, and had panicked. Wrapped in a blanket now and looking like a drowned rat, she thanked them profusely for saving her.

The house owner came into the living room and said, "I called 911 and told them about the bridge being flooded. It's happening all over the place. They said hold out the best we can, they will send help when it's available. I got some saw horses in the garage, we should block the bridge."

"Where the bridge was," John corrected. "It was washed down stream. Let's get them in place."

The man turned the radio on before he lead them to the garage. Cameron, Delilah and Sonja went out with the man to set up saw horses on the road. A piece of bridge abutment broke loose and washed away. A piece of the end of the road at the stream bank broke loose and was washed away.

Going back into the garage to get out of the rain, John noted, "This is really odd. It hardly ever rains here, let alone this much. I've never seen a flood like this before. I mean, not here."

"Global warming," the house owner said firmly. "It causes weather patterns to shift. This is the results."

Sonja asked, "If the globe is warming, then shouldn't it be hotter and dryer?"

The man shook his head and said, "For some. It does change weather patterns so there will be more rain in places, and much less in others. Many places will be hotter, and some places will be cooler. It's more complicated than just warm or cold."

"I don't understand," Delilah said.

"It is complex," the man offered.

John sat down by the lost looking women they saved. Her gray hair was wet from the rain, her eyes started at nothing. "Ma'am," he asked, "Can we get you home? Do you want to call someone?"

The woman looked at him. Sounding lost, she said, "My Son-in-law just bought me that car. It's ruined already."

"It wasn't your fault," John said gently. "I'm sure he'll understand. Where can we take you? Did you want to go to a hospital?"

The woman thought briefly, then said, "No, home will be fine." she added, "I seem to have lost my phone."

John handed his over. "Use mine," he offered.

"Thank you."

As John watched, the woman looked at his phone and frowned. "I can't see the numbers," she said.

"Want me to dial for you?" John asked.

"Please."

She told him the number, he dialed it and handed the phone back.

"Hello, Penny? ... yes, it's Gramma. The creek is flooding and my car got washed off the road ... No, I'm fine, this young man and his girlfriends pulled my car out of the water ... Yes ... they picked it up, don't ask me how ... No there was no tow truck ... right, it's in this fellow's yard, just across where ... that's where the set it down ... no I was just scared is all, I called to tell you I won't be coming today, I'm going back home. We'll see you soon ... no dear, you can't, there too much water and I think the bridge is gone now. Just stay home, the flood may get worse. OK, bye honey."

The woman handed John his phone back with a "Thank you."

"Would you like a ride home?" John asked.

"John, the water is rising," Delilah said and motioned out the sliding doors.

They had set the woman's Toyota down clear of the water. The water was almost up to it again.

"Oh dear!" the woman said, "I hate to loose my car."

"I'll go get it," Sonja said. "Where do I put it?"

John said, "If the street is clear, put it there. I'll go get ours."

Cameron and Delilah took the woman to the front entrance to wait for John. The woman tried to give the homeowner his blanket back, he insisted she keep it and return it later when she could. While they waited for John, Sonja walked around to the front, holding the car by the front bumper. The homeowner had her put it in the driveway. John came by right after.

.

They got the old woman back to her apartment building. By now, the rain had slowed to a drizzle, but water was everywhere. Big puddles in the streets and flowing down the sides. Every dip in the road was filled level. One car was stuck in water up to it's headlights.

John drove around it, and other obstacles. There were two other bridges in town. One they couldn't even get close to due to stopped traffic and roadblocks. The other was also blocked off due to the bridge being washing away. Cameron tried to call Todd and didn't get an answer. They headed back home. So much for practice today.

John's phone rang. Since he was driving, Cameron picked it up. "Hello?"

A male voice asked, "Who is this?"

"You called me, who is this?" Cameron replied.

"My wife's grandmother called from this phone! I want to talk to her."

"Sorry, we took her home. You'll have to contact her there."

"Where's the car?"

"In a driveway."

"So, nothing happened to it?"

"Yes, something happened to it. It was washed off the road. We got it out of the water and put it in someone's driveway with her permission."

"So, it's drivable?"

"Negative. It's waterlogged. Most likely it will never run again," Cameron stated.

"If that's true, how did you get it into that driveway?"

"Sonja carried it."

"OK, stop with the smart-assed.."

*click* Cameron hung up on him.

A couple minutes later, the phone rang again. Delilah reached over and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Who's this now?" a male voice asked in a demand.

"Who's this?" she asked in return.

"You know who I am! Where is that car?"

Delilah firmly said, "I don't know you, or your car. If you have a point, make it fast."

"Look bitch!"

*click* Delilah hung up and turned the phone off. "He was very rude," she said.

"Yes, he was," Cameron agreed.

"Sounded like he was more concerned about that car, than his wife's grandmother," John noted sourly.

.

The got home to find a 'freak thunderstorm' had formed, the man on TV going through all the atmospheric conditions that caused the storm. There were flash flood warnings, (NOW they tell us, Delilah said with a grunt) and people were urged to be careful and seek high ground, especially around dry creek beds that would be filled, carrying away the runoff.

Later in the day, Todd called. George had gone out to watch the awesome power of the flood, and now no one could find him. They agreed, George wouldn't mind Sonja becoming the drummer in his place if he didn't come back. By the next morning, he was declared 'missing'.

Sonja was going to miss the attention George had given her.

.

Once the torrent of water that disrupted their lives drained away, there was one bridge in town that was passable. A second temporary bridge was being constructed. Overall, a couple cars got washed away, and there was some property damage, but the damage wasn't that bad. Going to Todd's garage, they found the overhead doors open and Todd trying to dry out the floor.

"Hey guys!" he waved as they got out. "Saved the equipment, but it's still real wet in here. Carpet here's soaked."

Todd's driveway had a slight drop. Cameron and Delilah rolled up the soaked, heavy carpet and after they moved to park on the street they rolled the carpet out on the driveway to help it dry. Cleaning up and drying out the garage took a few hours.

No one besides Todd thought driving over the carpet to squeeze the water out, was a good idea. John also noticed that Kay seemed very upset that George was missing. By the way she had acted before, he didn't think she liked him very much. Sitting inside with Hector, they rolled joints and puffed away their grief.

Not much practicing got done that day. They had four days left.

The next day, the Connors arrived early to get some serious practice in. Todd wasn't up yet. Going into the garage, Cameron picked up the pizza boxes and stuff then in the trash, compacting them some so they fit. Cleaning up so they could play, they were getting the instruments set back up when a truck pulled up outside and George got out.

"Thanks for the ride man!" George, wearing dirty, tattered clothes hailed to the driver. Walking up the driveway he thrush both hands in the air and yelled, "What a ride! That was beyond awesome!" Gesturing around he announced, "I was watching the flood from on top of this shed, then it started moving! I was like, what's going on? Then it kinda tipped and broke up. I grabbed a chunk of wood. I was IN the flood man! I got on that chunk of wood and rode if like a surfer! You aughta seen how fast I was flying along with the water. Big waves too! There was this long bump, dunno what it was, but I shot over the top of it, like ZOOM! Then the water kinda slowed way down and I bumped into a house. Damn near knocked me out. These guys in a boat pulled me in and took me over to the shore … where the road came up out of the water, and helped me to an ambulance. Gotta say the nurse was cute, kinda snippy though. She said I was OK. I had to find a way back. That was going to be a Looong walk, good thing I got a ride. Anyway, I'm BACK!"

John, Cameron and Delilah greeted him with waves Sonja walked up and hugged him which planted his head square into her breasts.

George hugged her back and looked up at her. " My day just got a WHOLE lot better!" George announced, grinning up at her like a fool.

Sonja returned his smile, then said, "You need to wash and get changed."

"Yeah, Ok, I'm on it, anything to sink my head into these luscious puppies!" George said firmly. "Todd's got some stuff to fit me. Be back, then we can ROCK!"

George walked into the garage, got the spare key and unlocked the door to the house. He cast Sonja a wide grin and said, "You made my day, Red Sonja!"

"I'm surprised he's not dead," Delilah noted.

"He got lucky," Cameron agreed.

From inside, George yelled, "Hey! Sweet cheeks, wake up, we got music to play! Hector, up off the floor man! We got shit to do! Todd! Gonna borrow some clothes and you're shower! Come on, Sonja's waitin for us!"

"Yup, big crush," John said.

.

The good thing about George was that while he seemed to be a brainless perv, he also put all that energy into playing his drums. He looked intense behind his drum set. Kay wasn't 'feeling good' and went home after she saw how George kept grinning at Sonja, so Sonja took over the keyboard. Once Todd showed her how to change instrument sounds on it, she even did the organ parts of _Let It Be_ well. They had a good 'Jam' session.

Cameron was satisfied they would at least put on a good performance for the people.

The day before the festival, John got the trailer and stage set up so the 'band' could set up their instruments. Strangely, Kay hadn't been seen since George came back, so Sonja stayed as the keyboard player. George wanted to Jam some but, John told him tomorrow was the beginning of the festival, they had to concentrate on finishing the set up and get the props ready.

.

Claire was happy the festival was coming together well. After the success of last year, More people pre-bought tickets to see Cameron and Delilah on stage again. She even got a virtual reality game vendor in to show his line of games (all three), and a couple of the latest multi-player games as well as Ipod and Iphone stands that were going to donate their sales to charity.

This year, in the two day festival, the Connors had two concerts each day at 9AM and 1PM. Cameron saved a seat for Claire for the first concert. At first, Claire declined, but Cameron insisted, she so agreed to attend the first concert.

In front of the new, expanded stage that was three times wider that the original trailer, Claire noted the bleachers she got were full. There was even people sitting on the ground in front of them. A curtain was across the front of the stage. John came out and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you very much for your donations! And now, to thank you properly, some music!"

He went to the side as a guitar began playing and pulled the curtain open to expose the band.

Cameron was wearing white halter and strip-skirt, Delilah was in her black halter, strip skirt and top hat, with fishnet stockings. Behind the keyboard, Sonja wore a red halter and black strip-skirt, Todd, Hector and George were in their green shirts and black pants. Cheers went up upon the crowd seeing them.

Cameron sang _Titanium_ first. She and Delilah then sang, _Waterloo,_ then _One Week,_ to the delight of the crowd. Sonja came up to sing, _Runaway Train_ , and got more hearty applause, then stayed with Cameron and Delilah to do _Living on a prayer_ , which much of the crowd singing with them. _Sweet Child of Mine_ was a big hit also.

Cameron then came to center front to look at Claire and said, "This next song is for my mother, who will never know how much her support has meant to me."

Sonja started the piano music, the Cameron began to sing.

 _When I find myself in times of trouble_

 _Mother Claire, she comes to me_

 _Speaking words of wisdom_

 _Let it be_

 _._

 _And in my hour of darkness_

 _She was standing right in front of me_

 _Speaking words of wisdom_

 _Let it be_

 _._

 _Let it be_

 _Let it be_

 _Let it be_

 _Let it be…_

Claire cupped her hands to her mouth. She remembered telling Cameron that. Their conversation about 'saving Allison'. She had no idea her words had impacted Cameron that much. As Cameron sang on, the band joined in with perfect timing. Although people around her were enjoying the tune, Claire knew this tribute was just for her. For how strong her daughter was, she truly had needed simple advice. She couldn't hold the tears back. The moment the song was over, Claire was on her feet. Cameron jumped down from the stage and they hugged to a roar of applause.

"Thank you, that was so sweet," Claire snuffled.

"Thank you, Mom. You were there when I needed you," Cameron replied. "I have to get ready for Delilah's song."

"Do your best, dear," Claire told her. Cameron then jumped back up on stage and ran into the back.

"We have one more!" John announced while Delilah and Cameron changed costumes.

Sonja also went in the back. She came out pushing a crate with a stone on top. She set the stone down in front of the crate, then pulled the top and side off to reveal Delilah in her 'ragged robot' costume, sitting cross legged with her guitar with the strings hanging off it.

Delilah sang her Thousand year Lullaby. Cameron in all black, danced behind her.

 _Alone on a gray hill I tread on the dry and withered grass_

 _Going around in my thoughts is your far away place in the sky_

 _._

 _The petals swaying in the wind are your tender smile_

 _The wind it caresses me like your gentle touch_

 _My words flow on to you on the other side_

 _._

 _I'll play a song that no one knows_

 _And keep up this broken tone_

 _Even though this body may rust and stop_

 _I'll keep singing to your collapsed stone_

 _._

 _Although this body of mine is artificial_

 _this heart is dedicated to your song_

 _with my thousand year lullaby_

 _._

 _Facing the setting sun a faded guitar in my hands_

 _strings hang loose and swaying_

 _a shadowed figure dances to my tune_

 _I will always sing this song for you_

 _my worn out fingers duly reflect the light_

 _The melody I hum rides the wind to the other side_

 _As long as I can move, I'll keep on singing_

 _my thousand year lullaby_

 _Faint cracks of my silver gears_

 _resound the dark gray beat_

 _the reflection on my glass eyes_

 _how fake they must be_

 _Although we can no longer meet under this sky_

 _I'll continue to sing to you on the other side_

 _I will never give up my sung words to you_

 _in my thousand year lullaby_

 _When voice fails and my fingers refuse to move_

 _I want again to be with you on the other side_

 _does one like me crossover_

 _after my thousand year lullaby?_

Delilah's last words were choppy. At the end her head bounced down and stayed. Her hands stopped moving. Cameron ended her dance by hugging Delilah from behind. John closed the curtain.

Applause and cheers rolled off the crowd along with calls of "Encore, Encore!"

This was the first time Claire had sat through the entire concert. She was very happy she did.

Behind the curtain Delilah got up. Staring at her, George said, "Wow, Delilah, you really look like a broken down robot!"

Casing him a smirk, she lifted one hand, morphed it back to normal and said, "I'm not broken down yet."

George dropped his drumsticks and clapped his hands to the sides of his head. "What a rush! Holy shit! I mean, you really are a robot?" he asked in a squeak. "No fuckin way!"

"I'm a terminator, a scary robot," Delilah told him, and flashed her eyes red.

"Whooa! That is so out there! Man, you gotta be the coolest thing I ever saw!" George announced. "Like, any more of you around?"

Delilah looked at Sonja and said, "Ask her."

Wide eyed, George whipped his head to look at Sonja. "Ohh, you mean…"

"I'm a terminator too," Sonja said, and flashed her eyes red.

Hector only stared at them, as did Todd.

"This is too fuckin cool!" George gushed. He went over to Sonja, eyeing her like she was a goddess. "Red Sonja, you are just … too funkin cool to be hanging with us guys!"

Sonja tipped her head slightly and asked, "Does that mean we can't play music together any more?"

"No man!" George cried, "It means you're like …a Goddess! I'm just a puny little guy that … worships you!" He then dove in and hugged her tight. "My Goddess!" George whimpered as he buried his head in her breasts.

Sonja returned George's hug, holding him in place. George was odd, but she was getting good feelings from him. She petted his hair. Yes, George, wiggle your head back and forth all you want.

Seeing this, John muttered, "And I will hug him and love him and pet him and name him George."

Sonja smiled.

Sarah poked her head in and announced, "Lunch time!" Seeing George with his head buried in Sonja's chest she grumbled, "I don't even want to know."

.

The 'food court' at the festival was doing well. Several tents and rows of picnic tables were visited by attendees and festival workers alike. Delicious aromas wafted in the air as ovens cooked and barbeques grills sizzled. The Connor band arrived to have lunch.

George towed Sonja by the hand, pointing over to a tent where chicken was being grilled. "Sonja, you ever had Bourbon chicken? It's awesome man! It's barbecued, but they put bourbon in the mix, and it makes all the difference in the world," he explained happily. Sonja let him lead her along, enjoying how happy he was.

Behind them, The gaggle of Connors and the band split up to head for different tents to get food. John and Cameron went to get theirs and Delilah's orders while Delilah saved a couple tables for the with Sarah, Joan, Allison and Jackie. Upon seeing Delilah, Jackie Gee-gee'd happily and waved her arms.

Wandering back, John and Cameron arrived with three pizzas, John carrying a few bottles of soda. Daniel and Claire came back with fried chicken and fries. Joan sat up the edge of the table by Jackie, she and Allison eating fried dough and making sure Jackie had her bottle when she wanted it while Delilah monitored them. George came back with Sonja carrying a pile of barbecued half-chickens and salt potatoes in a pan. Sonja carried the paper plates. Todd and Hector followed behind them. Cameron pulled two tables together to accommodate everyone.

"Hey, I got chicken here for everyone!" George announced. "This is good stuff man, try some!" Seeing Sonja standing, George asked, "Why don't you sit down?"

"I'm too heavy for these benches," Sonja replied.

George huffed and said, "OK, hold on, I'll find something for you." He wandered off searching. Sonja went with him. Todd and Hector dug into the chicken halves. Cameron studies the chicken then OK'd them for John to eat if he wanted.

Not finding a single seat, George did find a rock big enough for Sonja to sit on. The trouble was, he wasn't strong enough to move it. Sonja picked it up for him. Walking back, Sonja put the rock down at the end and sat. It was perfect, she sat at about the same height as everyone else. George got Sonja a paper plate with a chicken half, then got his own and squeezed in on the end bench to sit by her.

While they were eating, the old woman they'd saved came over to them. "Excuse me, you're the ones who pulled my car out of the water, aren't you?"

"We are. How are you doing?" John replied.

"Fine. I just wanted you to know that my car is fixed, and thank you again for saving me," she said with a smile.

"Hey, no problem, we were glad to be of help," John replied, returning her smile.

"Would you like to sit with us for a moment? There's plenty to eat," Cameron offered.

"THERE you are Gramma!" A woman cried. She and the man with her came over.

"We thought we lost you," the man said, not too gently.

The woman turned to them and said, "I just wanted to thank these wonderful people for saving me."

"Yeah, the ones who busted out a window, bent up the fenders and the bumper!" the man grumbled.

"Be lucky we acted quick, you could have lost a lot more than a car," Delilah said eyeing him.

"Be lucky I don't sue you for damages," the man growled.

"You really are an ungrateful lout, ain't ya?" George piped up. "Bet ya don't even hold the door for your woman."

"No one's asking you," The man snapped at George.

"No one asked you for your pitiful garbage either, did they?" George shot back.

"I don't have to put up with your shit," The man growled.

"Then turn around and go," George replied with a flail of his arm. "We sure don't need your bullshit. Go bother someone else."

The woman was looking at them and noted who it was around these tables. She said, "Hon, we should go."

Ignoring her, the man spat, "I go where I want, you bearded freak!"

Sonja got up eyeing the man, She rose, and kept on rising until the man's wife was staring wide-eyed up at her. Even the man took a step back as she stood, glaring down on them. She spoke in a deep firm tone. "You will leave."

"I don't have to put up with this shit," the man grumbled and stomped off. "Gramma, come on!"

"I will stay for the moment," the old woman said.

"Well, we're leaving!" the man snapped. He towed his wife away with him.

"Is he that bad all the time?" Cameron asked.

The old woman waved a hand and said, "Oh yes, he thinks everyone should bow to him. Penny loves him, so I can't really say anything about it. He does do good though, even if he acts tough. I watched them close, believe me, but he doesn't abuse Penny so it's fine if that is what she wants. His bark is worse than his bite."

Cameron smirked. So not true with her or Delilah.

"Hey, hold on!" George cried. "We forgot the beer!"

"Beer after our performance this afternoon," Cameron told him.

"Yeah, we have to stay straight until we're done for the day," Todd agreed.

"Bummer man!" George said with a frown.

Sonja put a comforting arm around him.

.

The 1 PM performance had more people in the audience, if that was possible. Girls sat in guy's laps to pack in more. some stood up in the back, and the ground in front of the stage was covered with people. Claire and the coordinators were even petitioned to extent the festival for a day so more people could see the concert. The afternoon concert was also videoed by a few TV stations. The stations paid well for the rights to broadcast the concert.

This year, the proceeds nearly doubled from last year, which was then the biggest year the Palmdale charity organization ever had. Attendance to the festival was in the thousands instead of the hundreds. Everyone knew it was Cameron and Delilah that were drawing the crowds. Their popularity was still growing, despite the latest TV interview where they came out and told the truth about themselves.

John and the authorities had gotten it wrong. They were sure people would panic when they found out Cameron and Delilah were machines from the future. The opposite happened. Knowing of Cameron and Delilah, people embraced them and their warnings. Curious, yes, many people were very curious about them, but even though they were terminators made to kill, no one was sacred of them.

Well, a few people were scared of them. Terrified in fact. The spy community found out what happened to the Chinese spies. They didn't not want to be torched on the roadside or disappear. Some spies defected to get away from the pressure of trying to find information on the Connors. Others flat out quit, and hid. The ones who did stay to watch the Connors did just that. They watched and gleaned bits of information as they could get it. No one was willing to confront them or be caught sneaking into their house.

.

Day two, a music producer approached John after the end of the 9AM concert. The short man with gold necklaces and rings on each finger and sparkling sun glasses greeted John happily.

"Hi, I'm Jerry Weston, I'd like to talk to your bosses, Cameron and Delilah," he beamed.

John eyed him. "They are my wives," he grated, not appreciating being demoted.

"Yeah, whatever. Husbands and wives come and go, I need to talk to someone in charge," Jerry said.

"You are," John stated firmly. "What do you want?"

"Seriously, I can see you're just a stage hand," Jerry told him. "I have a ...ACK!"

His speech was cut off when Cameron came up behind him and griped his throat. She hoisted him up, turned him around and said, "leave." She dropped him.

Jerry the producer, stumbled and fell, coughing, he turned back to see Cameron eyeing him, blank faced. Holding his hands up in front of him he said, "OK, calm down, I just came to offer you a contract. I got a set of new songs, but I need new faces to put out there to sing them."

Cameron eyed him, then called, "Todd! someone's here to see you!"

"This Todd is your manager?" Jerry asked.

"No, he's the leader of the band who helped us with the festival," Cameron explained.

Jerry snorted and said, "Bands are a dime a dozen. What I need are recognizable lead singers. You and your sisters are prime meat, you're the ones I want to deal with."

"No," John said flatly.

"It's not up to you, stage hand," Jerry said firmly. "It's up to her if she wants in on a multi-million dollar deal."

"John told you no," Cameron said. "You should leave now."

Todd came out. He saw Jerry and asked, "What are you doing here, Mr. Big-producer?"

"Not here for you, but her. Cameron, name your price," Jerry said.

Cameron walked over, grabbed a handful of his expensive silk shirt, picked him up and carried him out to the fairway and tossed him to the ground. She returned to their trailer/stage to see Todd and John talking.

" ... yeah, that guy talks huge, but I know a few people he's dealt with. He gets rich, they get the shaft," Todd said to John.

"Well, we're not dealing with him," John agreed.

Cameron came back and cast John a frown. She kissed him and said, "He called you just a stage hand, but I didn't kill him."

"I'm proud of you," John said with a grin.

Cameron kissed him again and in a sexy voice said, "You can show me how much when we get home."

More smiles and kissing.

"OK, I'll go find something to do," Todd said with a huff.

Delilah came out and made sure the trailer door was shut. She rolled her eyes and said, "Not out here too!"

"Huh?" John asked as he and Cameron looked at her.

Jerking her thumb over her back at the trailer, she said, "George is showing Sonja how to properly worship her 'holy mounds of joy'."

John laughed. It was funny now, he just hoped George would tire of his fixation. He didn't want to ruin Sonja's happiness at getting attention. He just didn't want her heart broken. George did not seem too stable.

"Holy mounds of joy?" Cameron asked. Sporting a crooked grin she asked John, "How does one worship them?"

"Should I go watch and see?" Delilah asked.

OK, it was getting very close to play time. "I can show you," John offered.

Delilah came over and clasped each of their hands. "Behind the billboard over there, We got another hour before Sarah and Claire come back with the kids."

John chuckled and said, "Not enough time to worship, only a quick offering," John said with a grin.

.

Iran was facing opposition at getting their hands on a nuclear weapon. As General Mohamed Abdul thought about it, mass destruction was out dated in that with modern defenses, it would be very hard to get a weapon like that into Israel without getting

caught or having it shot down. They needed something powerful, yet small and light weight.

Americans had revealed they had a powerful energy weapon. It was hand held by a woman, so it had to be very light. Such a blasphemous woman she was too, covering nothing up and singing half naked to crowds. Then to discover it wasn't a woman at

all but a machine shaped like a woman. Something like that could not be allowed to exist!

This thing needed to be destroyed and the parts scattered over the desert and buried by sand. Except for the energy weapon, of course. They would use that against the infidels and punish them with Allah's own wrath. He called together his elite squads of killers to get rid of the abominations those devils of the west had made, and retrieve that weapon.


	45. Chapter 45

CH 45

Sneaking into the Unites States was fairly easy, even with the 'tightening' of the borders. Trickling into Mexico, and finding the right people to pay off, Barak Al-Malik gathered his forces in central Mexico. In exchange for some cash and delivering drugs across the border, he also acquired weapons. They were not the best, but pistols and AK's were good for a start. The 30 man and three women force got supplies and were guided by a 'Coyote', one of the men who regularly got people over the border for a fee. With them, the dealer who arraigned this trip sent a pack of his own people with them. Drugs were evil, but a necessary evil until they got across the border.

Barak noted these men also carried guns as they set off, backpacks full of the dealer's product as all of Barak's people did. Two of the men had rifles with scopes. They traveled to a mile from the border where there was a tall steel post fence. There, they were led into a cave to wait for nightfall. Watching the Mexicans closely, Barak and his sub followed the snipers out when the sun went down. The men with the scoped rifles searched the distance, then waved for them to go. The Coyote ran out, urging everyone on.

The entire group came out of the cave and jogged to the border. Barak didn't think they had a chance to get across. Someone HAD to be watching from the other side. Coming within easy sight of the tall fence, the Coyote and another man raced up and opened a gate at the bottom, and quickly motioned everyone through.

The Mexicans ran though first. The Iranians followed they though the gate, across the road and into brush. They came to another fence with a gate in it and hurried along for another hour. The Mexicans then guided them to a barn. Inside, they unloaded their packs full of drugs.

It was hard to believe it had been that simple.

Barak noted the odds. Eight Mexicans, 30 of his men. He nodded to the lead Mexican and waved his hand in a parting. His men shot the Mexicans down. They took what they could off the bodies, including the sniper rifles and piled the dead Mexicans on the drugs, then lit the place on fire.

If there was a storage barn, there had to be a house somewhere nearby. Barak and his men went searching for it. As they walked along in the night away from the burning barn, Barak called General Abdul to let him know they were in the US, and beginning their search. Dawn came and they had yet to find a house, or a road. Barak knew they had to go west, the west coast was where this Delilah Connor was. Walking on until the sun was high in the sky, they began to hear traffic off to their right. Keeping under cover, they found a highway. A truck passed by. A car went by twenty minutes later. Barak send a squad out to hide near the road. They would hijack a vehicle large enough to fit them all. Barak had a grave dug.

Three hours later, a farm truck came down the road. Jumping out and waving their guns, they got the driver to stop and pulled him out of his vehicle. They shot the man and buried him, then piled into his truck and headed west. Coming to a gas station 'last gas for 100 miles', Barak paid for the gas and had the tank filled. Noting there was a store in here, and only two people working, He shot them and grabbed everything they could stuff in the back of his truck with all their men. A car and a pickup truck were in back. The found the keys on the body of one young man they'd killed and took to fill it with more supplies. The car was going to be useful too. They got the keys for this from the other one. The small caravan continued west. Now having a road map to follow, they went on until dark, then stopped to eat and relieve themselves. Switching drivers, they continued on all night.

Around 1 AM a car following them turned on it's siren and came close. In the back of the caravan, the men in the car woke up. The ones in back leaned out and pointed their AK's at the police car and opened fire. The car swerved as bullets shatter the lights and windshield, then blew a tire. The car slid to the side and rolled over.

Barak saw this as a very bad sign. He had to assume that cop had called in their location and what they were driving. The very next dirt road, he ordered the driver to take it. They had gotten this far, he didn't want to be caught now. Following the dirt road until dawn, Barak had them stop.

In the morning light, he saw this wasn't a road, somewhere the road had stopped and now they were on a dry creek bed. So much the better, they would be harder to find. He gathered everyone together and made sure they had their passports and ID. He split them into five, six man teams. Only he and two others got a female. The others had to do without. They loaded up with supplies and left spreading out and heading west.

.

Watson called John and informed him of the criminals that were on a murder/theft rampage. Their last reported sighting was south of Route 66. Vehicles they took from a gas station they had looted and murdered the attendants were found in the desert. By what they found, Watson figured there were a large group of at least 20, and they were heavily armed. An intense search was being called up, but his major concern was the depot John had been using. If these criminals found that, they could wreak serious havoc.

A call to Catherine Weaver, and John Henry was scanning the desert. He called John back on what he found.

"John Connor, there are five groups heading west in the desert. Their path is erratic, but there is a chance that one group has a 56% chance of stumbling upon the armory you use. It would be proper caution to guard it from intrusion."

"Thank you John Henry. Do you know they will be coming near there?" John asked.

"If they maintain their current speed, 10 AM tomorrow, plus or minus an hour."

"Thanks, We'll be going there today. Please let Colonel Watson know."

"I will, John." *click*

John grinned, Terminators were not ones to say 'goodbye'. John gathered his team to go. Knowing they had some time, he had everyone come to help get the video surveillance and some claymores from the warehouse and set them up around the armory.

Sonja, Derek and Jesse were going to stay at the armory for protection there. With only six aggressors coming, he was sure they could handle them. They made sure there was nothing useful left in the warehouse, and routed the video feed from the warehouse to home to keep an eye on it. Going back home, Cameron made sure she and Delilah had HUD alerts set up for the video surveillance they'd set up.

Those criminals might come, but it would not be a surprise.

.

Playing the festival with the Connors didn't launch Todd's band into stardom, but it did get them noticed, and instead of a local gig maybe once a week, they had a full Friday to Sunday schedule of bar gigs and private parties. Kay did come back, but she wasn't as friendly as she was before. She ignored George completely, and even gave him a good slap for groping her butt. Apparently she was still pissed over how he acted with that Sonja chick.

The did get one break, A diner on Route 66 was hosting a party, and they had the gig. It was good pay, and Todd got a contract for a two day performance. They loaded up their van and heading out to go make some money.

.

Barak and his men knew how to cross desert. He also knew they were most likely being looked for. Staying to low ground where possible, they moved only at night with as little light as possible. In the burning heat of the day, they rested covered from the blazing sun. Setting off, his group had been in the center. Two days out, he saw signs of tracks crossing his right to left. Another group was moving faster. Moving quickly to get to civilization was an instinct, but that meant moving during the day, which would get them caught.

The third night, A drone did see heat signatures of six people camping in the open desert. Two Assault helicopters were sent to check it out. The drone kept watch on the people. Upon hearing the helicopters approach, they tried to hide. One fired an automatic weapon. That was enough to put the helicopters in attack mode. Flying higher, they bracketed the group and opened up briefly with their chain guns. The pilots noted the position and returned to base. Someone else would come to investigate who it was they had chewed to bits.

Barak heard the far off gunfire as they walked along. He immediately turned his group and went due north. He wanted to find out exactly where they were anyway. At this point he was thinking if they just walked along beside the road with all their weapons and gear packed, they had a better chance at making headway as people who just needed a ride.

Walking until they had a road in sight, He stopped his group to set up a camp. Although he hated it, and the female with them didn't like it either, he had her uncover to expose her whole head and 'show some skin', bare lower legs and her arms so she would appear more 'American'. They prayed to Allah to forgive this transgression. It was a time of dire need.

.

Watson came to the site where the bodies were found. By their dress, they were Islamic, and by the tiny flags on their clothes, they were Iranian. With the weapons and ammunition, they were here to cause trouble. Unfortunately, none survived. If there was one group, there were probably more. He had an alert put out with the caution of 'extremely dangerous', do not approach, report only. He contacted the Connors again. He wanted some of these extremists alive to question.

.

Aldin had heard helicopters behind them, then the weak sound of far off gunfire came to them. He had his group listened and watch closely, and step it up into a fast walk to get more distance between them and whoever got caught. Hopefully, the dumb infidels would think they got them all. He stopped his group at dawn to rest for an hour, then pushed on until the day was heating up. Sleeping and resting out most of the day, Aldin got them up and moving as soon as the sun set.

"Aldin, look over there," the woman in his group said.

Aldin saw a rounded shape off to their left. Looking at it with binoculars, he grinned, A half round metal building with an old fence around it. It was remote and looked unused, part of the fence had fallen down. "Let's go," he said. To him, it looked like an ammo dump. Maybe they could find some weapons there.

Staying to low ground, Aldin approached cautiously. 100 meters away, he sent two men to scout out the other side.

.

On guard duty at the video monitors, Sonja noted the group approaching. "Derek, Jesse, we have company. Seven people in dark clothes, coming from 043, they are armed."

Derek and Jesse ran over, Sonja pointed to them on the monitor. "It's getting dark, John said we need at least one alive," Derek said.

"Yes." Sonja said. She grabbed her long sword and said, "I will be quiet. Tell me when they drop out of sight." She went over to wait by the side door.

Watching the screen, Derek saw them drop into a hollow. "Now, go!"

Sonja ducked through the door, shutting it behind her. She ran quickly with the armory between her and the ones coming at them. Once she was in the low knolls, she bent low and crept up to look over the top of a taller one. Watching the landscape through her infrared, she noticed two heat signatures moving to the right, towards her. She computed their speed, and the fact they were also trying to stay out of line of sight from the armory. Moving to intercept, she could hear them now.

Only one knoll separated them and her. She squatted low and waited. A man appeared, then another. The first man was more to her left. Perfect. She shot up and punched him, then ran the other one through with her sword at the top of his belly to cut his breathing nerves. He gapped at her as he died. She swung and tossed his body off her sword. Checking the other one, he was still alive.

One mission accomplished, she had a live one. She ripped his clothes up and used them to bind his arms behind his back, legs together, then 'hogtied' him, his arms to his ankles. Peeking back up, she noted two more coming her way. She had one alive, so no need to hold back. She waited in a crouch. One figure came around the corner of the knoll and was impaled on her sword. The female voice took one weak gasp as she gaped at Sonja in horror, then blood came out of her mouth. Sonja tossed this corpse aside.

Behind the woman a man stopped. Frozen in place, he gapped at her. After Sonja got the woman off her sword, she impaled the man and tossed his body away, then moved on where the now dead people had come from.

.

Aldin laid on the high ground, watching the rusty building through his binoculars, a gunman to each side. There was no light, no signs of movement from the structure. He wished the others would hurry up. From what he was seeing, this place was abandoned. There wasn't even a security light on.

"URK."

"Shhh!" Aldin hissed at the gunman on his left. He was angry until he saw a giant of a form yank a sword from man's back. The big devil had glowing red eyes. He opened his mouth to scream and a big foot kicked him in the face, Knocking him out.

Sonja threw her sword like a spear, stabbing the other shocked gunman deep in his chest. He squeezed the trigger to his gun, sending a few wild shots skyward as he screamed. Kicking the handle of her sword, Sonja opened his chest up wide and spurting blood out in a fountain. When the fountain died with him, she pulled her sword out of his ribs and wiped it off on his corpse. Checking the one she kicked, he was still alive, but unconscious. Great she had two lives ones. John was going to be proud.

Sonja sheathed her sword and picked up the unconscious one to throw him over her shoulder. She kept up a scan for any more as she went back to get the other one. She delivered the knocked out men to Derek, then continued a wide sweep of the area to be sure no more were hiding nearby.

Derek called John. They had two prisoners.

.

That night, Barak camped just off the road with his 'friends', telling them they had to appear as American and harmless as possible. Wearing only basic clothes. A few cars passed by, no one bothered them. Starting out again in the morning, they walked on their way.

.

From where one group of terrorists were caught, then the second, Nevada police set up watch in the desert in that area. The California police watched the state line and spotted another group from the air. SWAT was brought in and had a gun battle with them, taking them down after suffering three wounded themselves. So far 18 of these Islamics from Iran had been caught. Aldin was the only prisoner who hadn't suffered serious wounds. Two shot by SWAT were in a prison hospital as was the one Sonja punched and had caved in his face. Aldin only had a goose egg on his head from where Sonja had kicked him, trying not to kill him. Aldin was interrogated. All he would do was continuously bow and pray. He wasn't hurt that bad physically, but by the way he quaked it seemed his mind was gone.

Sedatives and coaxing by another man who spoke Arabic got Aldin to admit they had a team sneak into the US. He then warned of a giant devil who silently struck in the night with a long sword. The desert wasn't safe, death prowled out there. The interrogated sympathized with him, and finally got out of him they had started out with 30 originally. That news was sent out to all law enforcement immediately. A public announcement on all channels warned of groups of Islamic men being extremely dangerous, and to call the police if anyone saw them.

.

Barak noted they were entering a more populated area. They stopped at a strip motel to rest. Going inside, Barak noted the man behind the counter looked nervous. His hands shook so bad, he dropped the room keys he tried to give them.

"What is wrong?" Barak asked in his best English.

"Aww, nothing ... nothing's wrong, everything's fine!" the man said with a 'please don't hurt me' smile.

"Relax," Barak assured him, "You are too tense." Seeing some posters of scenic places on the wall behind the man, he pointed and said, "That is pretty, where is it?"

The man turned to look. As he did, Barak drew his pistol. The man turned back to explain and saw the gun just before Barak shot him in the head.

"Get the cash in the register, we are not welcome here," Barak stated. They scooped up the little cash available and went out the back and headed for the mountains.

.

Mark came home to gather everyone together, except Derek, Jesse and Sonja who were at the armory. "OK, listen up. Here's what we know. 30 Iranians came across the border from Mexico. 18 are in custody or dead. One group had been killing people all along route 66, and are headed this way. We don't know how many are in that group, but from people turning in tips, there are six. That means there's another group of six out there someplace. So far, AK47's have been the biggest gun we've seen from them. Their goal, from what we know, is killing Delilah."

"Why Delilah?" John asked.

Mark shrugged. "We don't know. The point is they are after her. These guys are very aggressive too. So far, they have left no one alive who've seen them. That is, except for the one we killed first. We have intel that Delilah is the target. These guys want her dead. They have come a long way do to so. Eventually, however many are left will find her. What I proposed is to set them up. Delilah does a TV interview from her safe place, that is shown on the TV so they know where to come to find her. They come, we nab them."

"The warehouse is ready to resist intruders, and it will not endanger our children," Cameron stated.

"That would be the best place," John agreed.

"How about the armory, it's much farther out in the desert and we'll have an excellent view all around," Delilah offered.

"That would be better, less chance of any more innocents getting hurt," Sarah agreed.

Mark winced and said, "I don't think they are that dumb. These guys will be trying to blend in, we try to make them show themselves and they won't. They will ring themselves with hostages and make you come to them."

John rubbed his head and grumbled, "I thought we were done with shit like this."

"I'll be the bait," Delilah said. Everyone looked at her. She shrugged and said, "If the biggest thing they got is an AK 47, what is there to be worried about? Both Cam and I are tazer-proof now. They shoot, I pretend to go down, they come close and I take them all out."

Mark sat in thought. John shook his head, "There has to be another way."

"Delilah's right," Cameron stated. "We dangle her in front of them. they attack and we can take them out. We need them to come to us before they decide they need hostages."

"All right, I'll see if we have any prospective locations," Mark agreed.

"I'll take that little car we don't even use, so if it's destroyed, it's no big loss," Delilah told them.

"Just don't take Derek's truck," John said with a crooked grin.

The place they chose was the warehouse. Colonel Watson wanted to use their house due to more cover available, but with the kids there, the answer was a resounding "NO!"

Not knowing where these men were coming from, John argued the warehouse was much easier to see, and still very well protected and if the shooting started, it wasn't close to any other structures. They planned their strategy and got ready for a serious battle around the warehouse.

.

From the trees, Barak looked down on the diner where a large party was going on. He motioned their female over to him. He told her, "We need to know where this devil, Delilah is. Open your shirt some. Go down there and ask like you're a fan. Talk to the drunks, they give information more freely. We will wait for you here."

Adria swallowed. She new this was a serious mission she was being send on. She'd be surrounded by infidels, and she had no weapon!

"Allah go with you, we need you to do this." Barak insisted.

Adria nodded. Stiffly, she walked down the hill.

.

George was having a great time. They played well, got lots of applause, and after their gig, they got to stay and enjoy the party. Sitting in back, he took a toke and looked up at the sky, wondering where Sonja was now. Man what a great woman! She commanded a room just by walking in. He knew she was going to be in a movie, when it came out, he was going to get tickets for it even if he had to pay for them. Taking a big guzzle from his beer, he kinda wished she'd come with them. Besides being awesome to look at, she played the drums and the keyboard like a master. Those huge sweater puppies of hers were so soft to bury his head in. Man! He really should have asked her out on a real date.

George sat up to find something to bang his head on for not thinking about that much sooner! Not ten feet away was a scared looking woman with ruffled dark hair. Her hands were clasped together in front of her. "Hey, babe, why you so nervous?" he asked.

Adria swallowed again and said in her best English, "I am a fan of Delilah Connor. I was looking for her."

"I can understand that," George said with a nod. "Delilah's stacked and she really wails on a guitar. She didn't come to this party though."

"Do you know where she is?" Adria asked meekly.

"Naw, man, haven't seen her in … it's gotta be a week now," George said with a frown. "Wish I woulda got Sonja's number though. Talk about a hot babe! She's awesome. Goddess material, I'm telling ya," he said, grinning widely.

"Where did you see Delilah?" she asked.

"Charity gig in Palmdale" George said off hand. "We jammed together, and wow she's something special! Still Sonja has her beat. Side's her flaming red hair and being real pretty, her boobs are world-class and those legs go on forever!"

Adria flushed at this guy praising parts of a woman he shouldn't have even seen unless she was his wife! "Where is Palmdale?" she asked.

George waved a hand at the road and said, "Easy to find, just head east til you get to 14, then go south. Can't miss it. Just south of Lancaster." He eyed her and asked, "You look uptight, why don't you grab a beer and sit for a while?" He patted the ground beside him.

Afraid he was going to do something with her, she backed up and said, "I must be going." She turned and fled.

George frowned at her retreating form then took a swig and laid back to watch the sky and think about Red Sonja. If he saw her again, he was going to ask for that date. He pined away for his Goddess.

.

Barak understood they had to go to the city of Palmdale. Adria said this guy had seen Delilah Connor there last week. He also had to find a place to watch the news to see if he could find out where his other groups were. The original plan was to meet in Los Angeles on the coast. From what Adria said, that was too far. With only five men and Adria, he didn't know if he had enough people to take this Delilah devil down.

He decided to send one man to go to the meeting point and collect whoever was left once he got to Palmdale. The place below had too many people, he'd have to find someplace where they could steal a car more discretely.

Walking another half mile, they saw a lone house up in the woods. The place was nice and as of yet, no car was visible. The driveway was long, so he set his men up in the woods to either side. He had Adria sit in the road holding hr leg, pretending she was hurt.

Not long after they set up a car came up the driveway. Seeing Adria, the car stopped. A man got out of the driver's side, illuminating the interior. There was a woman with him.

His men jumped out and surrounded the man. Barak and two others got in with him, guns at the back of the frightened couple's heads. He made them drive to the house as the rest of his group followed.

Barak had the man open the door, then demanded his keys. He kept the couple in the living room with the TV on as his men searched the house for anyone else.

"Take anything you want, just don't hurt us!" the woman cried.

They were typical infidels, the woman was showing way too much to be in public, and the man didn't even stand up to them. His men didn't find anyone else in the house. He had his men take them out back and shoot them.

The news did come on about terrorist groups and watching out for groups of Islamic men.

During that segment, A bright, big haired blond was shown on camera. He quickly dug out his reference picture. It was Delilah Connor!

" My warehouse in Palmdale is the safest place I can be," Delilah said. "I mean, who in their right mind would come looking for me here?"

As they talked he noted besides the warehouse, he could see a street, and in the distance was a Quickmart. He studied the background, not paying attention to the conversation of the devil. He even noted a street sign and the address on a mailbox for the warehouse. He had her!

The rich infidels here owned two cars. He decided to take both. They dragged the bodies into the woods and quickly covered them up, then took the cars and left. He'd gather his men, then they would go get that devil and rip her apart to find those weapons!

.

The warehouse wasn't as comfortable as it used to be. The furniture was gone, taken up to their mansion on the hill. The sinks and bathroom needed major cleaning and some repair work. John got the repairs done as Delilah wandered around outside to be visible and Cameron watched her on the kitchen video monitors.

To have something to do outside, besides aimlessly wander, Delilah had John get some five gallon buckets of paint, and she began to repaint the outside of the warehouse. With long poles for the rollers so she could reach up high, Delilah slowly changed the warehouse from a rusty brown color to a light blue. She did pay close attention not to paint over the surveillance camera lenses. They all figured this attack would come long before the warehouse was painted. There was many square yards of warehouse wall to cover.

Fifteen gallons of paint later, and the entire back wall and a good portion of one side was painted, and no one came. It had been ten days, and not even a random person had came anywhere near the warehouse. John called a temporary halt to their vigil. He knew terminators didn't need to rest, but neither Cameron nor Delilah had left the warehouse at all in the last ten days. He decided they would go home at least for the day and do something besides watch for trouble and paint the warehouse. On the way home, Cameron drove and kept a sharp eye out for anyone following them. Delilah scrutinized everyone they passed for possible danger.

What worried John was there was no news on the terrorists. Supposedly, 12 were still out there. Everyone in law enforcement was on the lookout for them, but they had dropped off the radar. The thought that they had given up and went home was only a stupid dream, John knew. They were out there somewhere. He wished they would just attack and get it over with. This waiting was the worst. What was also bad was the fact, he knew the longer they waited, the more information they were potentially collecting.

During their day at home, Joan and Jackie were happy to see their mommies back. Cameron and Delilah spend the day with their children. Jackie was growing, as was Joan. Joan also had news she wanted to share.

"Mommies! When school starts, I'm going to pre-school with Allie!" Joan beamed.

"You are?" Cameron asked.

"Yes! Well, if it's OK with you. Grammy Sarah and Grammy Claire said OK, and Allie wants me to go with her," Joan explained.

"Wow, school already," John said. It didn't seem possible so much time had passed. To him, it was only a short while ago that Joan was a baby. Looking at Jackie, she had grown taller and was sitting up and gee-geeing at people from Delilah's lap.

.

Barak had gathered his eleven men that were left. They had lost over half their force, and had yet to even confront the devil. The strongest weapon they had were their AK's, and a few tazers they acquired. He knew where this Delilah was, he'd watched her painting this warehouse she was at with his binoculars from a distance and under cover.

These devils were clever. He figured Delilah was exposing herself to coax someone to take a shot at her. When someone did, he was sure there were police or troops standing by to catch whoever did. If a rifle shot would take her down, it was worth it. From what he was understanding, bullets did very little damage to her, if any. He had a few men with tazers now, and tazers were very close range weapons.

A few days after Barak and his men had taken up watching the warehouse, Delilah and the couple with her left. Barak decided this was the best time to act. He waited until nightfall, then had his four tazer bearing men run to the back of the warehouse and jimmy the door open to wait inside for Delilah's return. When Delilah came back, a surprise tazering from the front and a mass of fire from behind should be enough to take her down. Then they could drag the thing away and tear it apart and get that weapon.

.

Cameron was monitoring the warehouse, she knew when men ran up to the back door and pried it open. Others came close and hid themselves wherever they could. She let everyone know. Counting the men, there were eleven total. She called Sonja, Derek and Jesse. It was time to clean these terrorists up.

Mark wanted to arrest them, but seeing how aggressive they were, Watson OK'd the Connors to get rid of them and take as many prisoners as reasonably possible. The President was now seeing this infiltration as an act of war, and the infiltrators were to be treated as enemy soldiers.

.

The next day, Cameron and Delilah drove the van to the warehouse and parked in front, backing up near the doors. Delilah opened the rear van door as Cameron unchained and opened the warehouse front doors. In the back of the van, behind a metal plate, John sat with a .30 cal machinegun.

"Surrender!" Cameron barked at the four startled men near the warehouse back door.

As this was happening, Sonja crept up behind those hiding and waiting to shower bullets upon whoever showed up in back of the warehouse. Derek had their left flank, Jesse had their right.

Having only tazers, the four men fled out the back door. John opened up on them the instant one of their hands touched the knob. Two never made the door, one knocked the door open with his body slamming into it. The last stumbled out, a step, bullets ripping though him. He fell dead.

.

They were so close, Barak could not stop now. "To the sides, attack!" he yelled. He and his men rose up to charge. Gun fire from the sides and back assaulted them. He was hit on his right leg, just above his knee. He went down. A few men fell from the machine gun fire coming through the doorway. Others dropped from fire on both sides and from behind. A couple men turned to shoot back, and were killed before they could get a shot off.

Barak screamed, grabbed his AK and tried to focus on a target. A very tall woman looked at him over the sights of her pistol. The last thing he saw was the puff from her shot. He then knew no more when her bullet went through his brain.

.

Of the eleven, four were badly wounded but still alive. A troop ship helicopter came and loaded the wounded up and took them away. The bodies were loaded into another helicopter to be taken off to some army base.

The only one not accounted for was the woman that was with them. A couple days later they found her hanging by her neck in the apartment some of those men had rented.

.

While Watson was looking for proof this infiltration and attack was ordered by Iran's military, Joan got ready for her first day of school. Cameron took her daughter down to the school building. Claire arrived with Allison right after they did. Going inside, Cameron and Claire filled out the registrations and Joan and Allison got their pictures taken. Heading off to the class room side by side, Joan and Allison went in to see more kids and their parents. The parents were ushered to the back, the kids shown to kid sized chairs and tables.

The teacher, Mrs. Ryan, and her aide, Mrs. Layton, explained the basic skills and abilities they would be covering, and what was required of the children attending class. The parents left and Mrs. Ryan arraigned seats for the students in alphabetical order.

Joan noted she was on the window side of the room halfway back in the first isle. Allison was way over on the other side of the room in the row against the inside wall. They cast each other forlorn looks. "Hey teacher!" Joan called as she was assigning seats, "How come my sister is way over there?"

"Your sister?" Mrs. Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Allison agreed. "Joan and me are sisters, shouldn't we be sitting close together?"

"Your last names are different, that is how we are assigning seats," Mrs. Ryan explained.

Joan stood up and said, "Mommy said going to school will help teach us how to get along, things like cooperation and compromise. So how about we compromise. Instead of me way over here, and Allie way over there, we should both sit in the middle."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Allison agreed.

Mrs. Ryan tried to explain, saying, "Alphabetical order is how seating is done, and there is no compromise to it. I can see you are thinking, Miss Connor, and that is good, but in this case you can't compromise."

"Why not?" Allison asked.

"Because rules are rules," Mrs. Ryan said.

"What rule says we have to sit so far apart?" Joan asked.

"That is the way the alphabet works," Mrs. Ryan explained, holding her temper.

"Where does 'A' start?" Joan asked.

"First seat, first row," Mrs. Ryan said.

"OK, well, if you can start it in the fourth row, then the Alphabet rule will still be followed, and Me and Allie can sit a whole lot closer together," Joan explained.

"I am not going to disturb the whole class so you and your sister can sit closer together," Mrs. Ryan stated.

Joan tipped her head slightly and asked "Why not, the rule will still be followed." She then asked, the class, "Will anyone be disturbed if me and Allie can sit closer together?"

Those brave enough to speak up shook their heads. One girl said "If I had a sister, I'd want to sit by her too."

"The seating will remain like it is," Mrs. Ryan said firmly.

"Bummer," Joan grumbled and sat down.

The first thing they did was look at and identify colors. Next was shapes then a count from one to ten. Mrs. Ryan then asked students what their favorite animal was. The first few kids picked things like bears, dinosaurs, and fish. When it was Joan's turn she proudly said, "Wolverines!"

"Wolverines? aren't they mean?" Mrs. Layton asked.

"They are awesome!" Joan cried, "I watched a documentary about them. They are very family oriented, and very protective. If you mess with them, they will show no mercy and never give up! Kinda like my Mommies."

"You Mommies? you have a step mother?" Mrs. Ryan asked.

Thinking step as in going up, or taller, Joan called out and asked, "Allie, is Sonja like a step mother?"

Allison called back, "I think Sonja is more like a cousin."

Mrs. Layton explained, "Miss Connor, a step mother is a woman who is now married to your Father instead of your real mother."

Joan eyed her then said, "No I don't have a step mother."

"You said you have Mommies, as in more than one," Mrs. Ryan said.

"I do! Mommy One and Mommy Two," Joan stated happily.

"Which one is married to your Father, right now," Mrs. Layton coaxed.

"Mommy One and Mommy Two," Joan said, thinking that should be obvious.

Mrs. Ryan eyed Joan and asked, "What are your Mothers names?"

"Mommy one is Cameron Connor, Mommy Two is Delilah Connor."

Mrs. Ryan paused to stare at the child. Right, that was where she'd seen this girl's mother before. OK, that would explain much. No wonder this kid liked wolverines, her mother was the humanoid version of them. She decided it was best to get on with the next girl.

After asking about animals, they had a 'nap time' on mats in the back of the room near the toys. Joan and Allison sat on a mat together and quietly build up blocks and made things. There just wasn't enough blocks to make much.

After nap time, they had a snack of milk and some fruit. Both Joan and Allison made faces at tasting the milk.

"Is something wrong?" Mrs. Layton asked the girls who sat at the same table.

"I think this milk is bad," Joan said with a wince. "It tastes funny."

"Yeah, it does," Allison agreed.

Mrs. Layton looked at the cartons. "It's not expired," she noted, then took a sip and said, "It's fine, there's nothing wrong with it."

"It still tastes funny," Joan complained.

"Yeah, Mom and Cameron's milk is a whole lot better," Allison agreed.

"I see, you both were breast fed," Mrs. Layton said. "This is cow's milk, it will taste different."

Joan frowned at her and asked, "Why cow milk? We're not cows."

"Many people drink cow milk. Surely you've had milk in your cereal, and things like butter and cheese. Those are made from cow milk," Mrs. Layton explained.

"No, Mommy two drains her excess milk to make those things, and Mommy One saves enough so we can have milk in cereal and in other things too," Joan explained.

Surprised, Mrs. Layton said, "You really have never had cow milk before?"

Both girls shook their heads.

"When Mommies have to go away for a while, they make as much as they can before they go. We still run out after a few days," Joan explained.

"Yeah, Mom can't keep up by herself," Allison agreed.

"What about the rest of your family?" Mrs. Layton asked.

"That's why Mom can't keep up," Allison said.

Joan and Allison decided not to have any more milk here.

.

It was getting time for the end of the day, so they had 'free' time until their parents came to pick them up. Mrs. Ryan was sure her class was under control, then from behind her she heard:

"You seem like a decent fellow, I hate to kill you."

"You seem like a decent fellow, I hate to die."

She turned to find Allison and Joan had picked up her pointers and were squared off, holding the pointers like swords. Both wearing big grins, they started clacking them together.

"STOP THAT!" Mrs. Ryan bellowed and got between them and grabbed the pointers. "Those are not toys," she said firmly.

"Oh. Sorry," Joan said.

"Yeah, sorry," Allison agreed.

"What made you want to do that?" Mrs. Ryan asked, wondering why a pair of four year old girls got the idea of sword fighting into their heads.

Allison beamed her a smile and said, "We watch Delilah and Sonja. They are really good! They go at it, clang clang clang!"

"And they use the real big swords, too!" Joan agreed. "But we can't mess with those, they are long and heavy and we could get cut by them, so we have to use sticks and be careful."

Mrs. Ryan's mind reeled from wondering what kind of home life these kids had.

Mrs. Layton called, "Joan, Allison, your parents are here!"

Both girls ran over to see Cameron and Claire waiting for them. They jabbered about their day, and how it 'sucked' to have to sit so far apart in class.

Watching them go, Mrs. Ryan was sure this year was going to be a challenge for her.

.

The next day, Joan and Allison came in with backpacks. Seeing wooden handles sticking out the tops, Mrs. Ryan asked what they had.

Joan pulled out a wooden sword shape and said, "These are called bokens, they are wood and made to practice with."

"I'll take those," Mrs. Ryan said, and confiscated Joan and Allison's play swords.

"But, you just said not to use your pointers," Joan complained.

"No sword fightng in class," Mrs. Ryan said flatly.

"How about football?" Allison asked.

"No playing football either," Mrs. Ryan intoned.

The girls frowned at each other. "Bummer," they chorused, and took their seats.

Mrs. Ryan was quickly learning to keep a close eye on these two girls. They were very intelligent, but their mischievous level was right up there with their IQ.

Just about when they were going to get silver stars for getting perfect scores on their letter writing and being good all day, Allison stood up and called, "Joan, do you have another pencil?"

"Here," Joan called back and threw a pencil across the room to her. Allison caught it. "Thanks!"

No throwing things in class rule broken. So much for that award.

Joan was also good at helping others who were having trouble. She sat with Charlie Benson and sang ABC's with him, while pointing out the letters, she helped him learn a little faster. Then she broke the rule of no hitting others by wrapping an arm around his head and giving him a 'nugie'.

On an arithmetic test just to see where they were at, Allison and Joan aced their tests, showing they could add and subtract well. Another silver star in the making, but Joan asked Allison if she had an eraser. It was thrown and caught with precision, but that killed their perfect score for the day.

Mrs. Ryan determined she needed to talk to their mothers. It wasn't that either girl were bad kids, it just seemed like they enjoyed pushing the limit wherever possible.

Today, it was 'pat your head and rub your belly - then switch' Allison had started it and all the kids tried and failed, causing a room full of laughter. While it wasn't technically disrupting the class, kids kept trying long after class had started.

Just getting settled down. the room shook briefly. Everyone went silent. Then the room shook harder, blowing out a window.

"Earthquake, Everyone outside!" Mrs. Ryan called.

In the shaking, part of the wall and a piece of ceiling came down where Allison was standing. Allison pushed back, standing the wall back up as the chunk of ceiling bounced off her. "Joan, help!" Allison cried.

Mrs. Ryan and Mrs. Layton hurried the kids out. Joan ran over and pushed on the wall with Allison, making it straighten up.

"Let's go, outside, now!" Mrs. Ryan yelled at them.

"We let go and the ceiling will come down with the wall!" Allison cried.

"Allie, once they go we run back to the widows and get out that way," Joan said.

Mrs. Ryan tried to move Joan. It was like trying to move a stone pillar. She pulled, Joan didn't budge.

"Teachers, go!" Joan cried, "We'll get out but you have to go first."

"We cannot leave you in here," Mrs. Ryan stated.

"Then go over and break out a couple windows and get all the glass out," Allison said, sounding stressed.

"Go out with the other kids," Mrs. Ryan told Mrs. Layton. The woman ran out.

Running over to the windows Mrs. Ryan didn't find anything to break the windows with. Joan glanced at her. "Allie, let go on three, then we run over and cannonball though the windows."

Allison nodded.

"One ... Two ... Three!" Joan said. Both girls ran for the outside wall. The inside wall fell, and with it the ceiling caved in. Allison and Joan jumped up and tucked themselves into balls. They crashed through the windows, sending glass and bits of metal flying. They landed outside and got up, sporting cuts and ripped clothes. "Come on!" Joan cried, motioning Mrs. Ryan out.

An after-tremor shook the ground. Hearing crackling, Mrs. Ryan crawled out of the hole as fast as she could. Joan and Allison held her up so she wouldn't fall down as the rest of the ceiling in the classroom came down. They guided her to stand and moved back with the others.

The class cheered. Mrs. Ryan searched for medical personnel. Joan and Allison had cuts and now blood on their clothes. She had to find them help. She couldn't dwell on or even think about how they had held that wall up, crashed though that window, or held her up while she went through. Four years old girls couldn't possibly be that strong. She focused on doing and not thinking.

.

The Earthquake wasn't a city-breaker but it did shake some things loose, and exposed the fact the school building wasn't built to code. When parents arrived to find if their children were all right, every kid told them Allison and Joan had saved them by holding the wall up so they could escape. Cameron, John and Claire arrived. John brought a first aide kit. He passed out bandages to Claire and Cameron as they wrapped up their children's wounds.

"Mommy One, Allison was really brave, she held up a wall all by herself!" Joan beamed.

"Not for long, it was slipping. Joan helped me and got it back up to keep the ceiling from coming down more," Allison replied.

"You were both very brave and good girls," Claire told them.

"Yes, you did very well," Cameron agreed.

Mrs. Ryan was still in shock at how strong these girls were. It was obvious they were not the normal run-of-the-mill children.

.

Despite proof that the Iranian government was behind that raid into the US, Iran nor anyone else would acknowledge it. The president wanted retribution, so again, secret ops were given to the Connor clan. Only four people knew what these ops were. John, Cameron, Delilah and Sonja were going to take a 'vacation'. Destination : Top Secret.


	46. Chapter 46

CH 46

Cameron and Delilah left on a cargo plane with their long bags packed. John saw them off with Sonja holding Jackie. Joan clung tightly to John's hand. They stood n the terminal and watched the plane take off.

"I don't like Mommies having to go away again," Joan said with a sniffle.

"Neither do I sweetie," John assured her. He picked her up and held her. "I don't like it at all, but if they don't to this, no one else will."

"Where are they going?" Joan asked.

"It's s secret, hon. Only the people who have to know, do. Don't worry, they'll be back. Faster this time, I hope."

"Joan," Sonja said firmly. "There are bad people who come after us. Your mothers are going to ensure they do not bother us any more. John and I are staying to make sure those people cannot get to you. That is all we can say."

"I'm just going to miss my Mommies," Joan said in a whine.

"Me too, sweetie. Me too," John said and hugged her close.

.

Cameron and Delilah got a surprise boarding the cargo plane. Mrs. Weaver was already on board and had a duffle bag full of high explosives They still had the same long ride, only Mrs. Weaver filled them in on the mission details. She pulled out a map and explained.

"This is Iran's busiest and most important port," she said. "Besides commercial traffic, it is also a naval base. This is a punishment raid. After we cross the Atlantic, we'll pick up our weapons, AK 47's and Glock 9MM pistols. Both commonly used in the mid-east. The delivery will be the same, we get dropped off in international waters and swim in. It's a 80 mile swim to the port, following bearing 037. We go the to the port, set charges under every ship over 150 feet in length that we can find, then set charges on these oil tanks that are under guard. I estimate it will take two hours to set all the charges. The countdown time starts when we set the first charge."

"What about the one who ordered the attack on us?" Delilah asked.

"We don't know who that was," Catherine said firmly. The CIA is convinced it was a government action, so it is Iran in general, their government that we are punishing. When we get into the harbor, we will split up. You to set charges on the ships, and if you have any explosives left over, pick the best targets you can from there. Be sure to be out of the harbor before those charges blow. Once they do, the underwater concussions will be strong enough to breach your water tight integrity if you're in the water. Leave your AK's where they can be found. They will help misguide the Iranians who come to investigate. One we're done, we will meet up at the point where we split. We have a another 100 mile swim to the pickup point. By the way, there will be sharks in the water, so try not to get injured. "

"How is the water clarity?" Cameron asked.

"In and near the harbor, poor. Good for concealment. If you hear a ship powering up to leave, try to get them first. Plant the explosives near the engine room if possible."

Delilah looked at the large bag of explosives and said, "Two questions. Will one bag of explosives be enough? and are there any deep magnetic mines along the way?"

"These explosives are for the oil tanks. We will pick up the magnetic charges during the stop in Israel to use on the ships," Catherine replied.

"How are we going to swim carrying all this weight?" Cameron asked.

"The charges are fairly neutrally buoyant. They will offer some drag, but their underwater weight will be insignificant. They are made to be neutrally buoyant at 1000 feet. " Catherine told them.

Cameron noted the plan was fairly simple, there was still a concern she had. "What are the chances of the explosives going off when we impact the water? We do hit rather hard."

"We will be much closer to the surface, and the plane will be flying as slow as they safely can. We exit, then the bags will follow. The chances of a premature detonation are minimal."

"We hope," Delilah added.

.

Sarah drove Joan to school the next day. When Mrs. Ryan met them, she had Sarah and Joan come into a lounge. Claire and Allison were the only other ones on the room. After introductions, Sarah voiced her first concern.

"What did they do?" she asked.

"Outstanding," Mrs. Ryan said as she sat down. "Both these girls, Joan and Allison, are far beyond the pre-school level of education. If you have been teaching them at home, you have done very well. If you, Mrs. Young, and Joan's parents agree to it, I am going to have them tested to see what their true grade level is. It is early enough in the year to transfer then into, I'm thinking, at least kindergarten level, if not first grade."

"Really?" Claire asked.

"Yes. Both these girls speak like they are older, and have knowledge far beyond any pre-schooler. I fear as the year goes on, they will get bored and … well, fine more exciting things to do in the classroom than is permitted."

"I don't think John or Cameron would mind one bit," Sarah told her. "I'll call John to make sure."

"Yes, please, see what level they should be at," Claire agreed.

Mrs. Ryan beamed them a smile and said, "Wonderful! I'll go get the permission forms and the tests. The school Administrator will come and give the test."

Once Sarah and Claire gave their permissions, their part was done. The man giving the tests came in and asked them to at least wait outside. The girls were separated to ensure no cheating and the tests began.

Waiting anxiously in the lobby area, Claire noted Sarah didn't seem as happy as she was that their young girls were doing so well on school. "Sarah, aren't you excited?" she asked.

Sarah cast her a grin and said, "I suspected this would happen. Claire, Joan has some of Cameron's DNA. By drinking Cameron and Delilah's milk that is loaded with nanites, I'm sure Allison has had a boost, if you will, as well. They are both going to have perfect or near perfect memories, and their … reasoning power I think is the best word for it, is enhanced as well. If they don't at least get into first grade, I'll be shocked."

Claire stood thoughtfully quiet for a moment then said, "Those nanites strengthened their minds as well as their bodies."

"Yes."

Claire grin a big grin. "Allison will be a genius!"

Sarah chuckled and said, "I don't know about a genius, but she and Joan will be far above any other child their age."

Sarah thought the test was going to be quick. They hung out in the lobby for a full hour before the girls came out.

"Mr. Styles told us to wait out here," Allison explained.

It took another twenty minutes before Mr. Styles came out, beaming a smile. "Ladies!" he announced, "These test scores are nothing short of extraordinary! Allison's score is well within the area of mid-first grade. Joan's test roughly puts her at the early second grade. They are missing some subjects, but not many. Things like the names of all the states and their capitals. Mostly geographical, basic history and minor spelling. All those are taught in first grade though, so that is where I recommend putting them. Their retention is also outstanding. I showed them briefly how to spell 'uniformity' and left it on the blackboard just long enough to explain what it meant, then erased it. On the test, they both got the spelling right as well as what the word meant. I dare say you have a pair of very smart kids here."

"We got it right" Joan asked happily.

"You did!" Mr. Styles said with a nod.

"Yay!" they both cried, thrusting a fist in the air. Both their eyes glowed blue briefly.

Mr. Styles blinked, not sure if he really saw what he thought he saw. To Sarah and Claire, he said, "On the IQ chart these girls rated very superior. You should be proud of them."

"We certainly are," Claire said, beaming a smile at the girls.

Joan frowned and said, "I wish I could tell Mommies," she said with a pout.

"Just as soon as they return," Sarah assured her.

.

On the other side of the world, it was night time. The cargo plane came in for a landing someplace in Israel. It was fueled and the rear cargo door opened to let a pair of men bring two large duffle bags aboard with drop chutes on them. The men left, the cargo bay was closed up. A new pilot and co-pilot came on board. As soon as the plane was fuelled, it taxied to another hanger to be loaded with a few crates then took off again.

Up in the passenger area, Cameron asked, "Where's our pickup point?"

"A destroyer will be waiting for us at the 100 mile point. We climb aboard, then take a helicopter to Saudi Arabia, then a plane to Egypt, another to Gibraltar, then New York, then home," Catherine explained.

"We won't go though metal detectors," Cameron said.

"There won't be any with the flights we're taking," Catherine assured her.

The cargo plane landed in Saudi Arabia to unload it's crates. Upon taking off, it headed out over the ocean. out of sight of land, only 10 miles away, it didn't climb but the rear cargo bay door opened. Cameron, Delilah and Catherine jumped out the back with their drag chutes. Cameron and Delilah were wearing their mermaid tails. Catherine just morphed herself a fish tail.

Unlike Cameron and Delilah who had horizontal tails, Catherine's was vertical and shaped like a shark's tail. After they were out, three canvas bags were tossed out with mini chutes. The plane then shut the cargo bay door and gained altitude.

Cameron found the bags floating ten feet below the surface and slowly sinking. She removed the chute, then checked the bag. Magnetic underwater charges. Delilah grabbed Catherine's bag, Catherine had grabbed Delilah's. They switched. With the mini-chutes disconnected, they began their long swim. The AK's were strapped to the bags. Cameron tucked her 9MM into the top of her mermaid suit just below her ribs.

Their calculated swim-time to get to the target was 10 hours, 9.5 if they ran into no trouble at all.

.

Joan and Allison went into their first day if First grade. The teacher, Mrs. Potter, introduced them to the class, then had them take the two vacant seats in the back that were beside each other. Already, Joan was liking first grade.

All the kids here were bigger than Joan and Allison, but that didn't bother either of them. Mrs. Potter talked about how their planet was formed billions of years ago, and how there used to be giant plants and dinosaurs and really big bugs. Joan was really interested in these new things.

Just before lunch, Joan and Allison were asked to come up and tell the class about themselves. Allison went up first. She waved and said, "Hi, I'm Allison Young! My Dad is named Daniel and my Mom is Claire. I got a big me named Cameron, and we ..."

"Allison," Mrs. Potter said, interrupting. "You mean you have a big sister named Cameron?"

Allison shook her head. "No. It's complicated, but Cameron is a big me. See, she came back in time to fight a nasty-mean thing called Sky Net. She won, but she can't go back to the future so she lives with us now."

One boy pointed to Allison and cried, "Yeah! We watched that on TV! So you are going to become an Iron Maiden?"

"Wow!" Another boy cried with a grin, "I watch football with Dad. Nothing can stop the Iron Maiden!"

Allison stared at the boy. She had never thought about it, but if Cameron was her grown up, then eventually, she was going to be just like Cameron. "I guess, yeah. I'll be just like Cameron ... because she's me."

"So, Allie, are you my Mommy too?" Joan asked.

Allison winced. "Ahh, I don't think so, Joan ... Cameron had you ... wait, that means ... it might get confusing with two of me here," she said with a thoughtful frown.

"So there's the little you here, and a big you who's all grown up?" a girl asked.

Allison nodded and said, "But Cameron said that I won't have to fight like she had to, so me and everyone will be safe now."

"If you're the same person, why do you have different names?" another boy asked.

Allison frowned and said, "I'm not sure. Something happened in the future so I changed my name to Cameron. I don't know what that was, and Mom and Cameron won't tell me."

"And Cameron is your Mom?" a boy near Joan asked.

Joan nodded. She announced, "Trying to think it out is confusing, but Allie and I decided to be sisters, so that is what is most important!"

"Yes!" Allison heartily agreed.

Next, Joan took her turn to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Joan Connor. Like Allie said, my Mom's are Cameron and Delilah, my Daddy's name is John, his Mom is Gramma Sarah ..."

"You have two moms?" A boy asked.

"You must get yelled at twice as much," Another boy said.

"They take turns," Joan offered.

"You're small, how old are you?" a girl asked.

"Four," Joan said, holding up four fingers. "Our teacher said we already knew everything she was teaching, so they moved us up into your class."

.

Following their course, Cameron swam along at 200 feet, Delilah on one side of her, Catherine on the other. They heard boats and ships, but nothing was coming close to them. At this depth, they were deep enough to not get run over by ships, yet shallow enough to see the surface above them. It was getting light, the surface of the water glowed with the morning sun.

There was a hum coming from somewhere. It wasn't an engine noise, more like an electric motor. Studying their surroundings, Delilah saw it first. To their right, behind and above them, the round cylindrical mass of a submarine came close enough to see. The sub rose higher, stuck up a periscope, then it surfaced. Diesel engines started up. It kept going in the same direction as them.

Getting closer to the harbor, there was more shipping, a tanker passed overhead on it's way in. Cameron also noticed the bottom was coming up the closer they got. Shipping noise was all around them now, and they swam at 150 feet, just off the bottom. The bottom kept rising, and when there was only 70 feet of water, the terminator trio had to move off to the side due to ships stirring up the bottom. Catherine signaled she was leaving and swam away.

The sub had moved on ahead of them. Another ship was leaving. Seeing the bulk coming, Cameron got out a charge and swam up to it, set the timer and planted it on the hull, then swam quickly away before she got caught in the prop suction. This also started their two hour timer.

The water in the harbor was only 50 feet deep, and with ship movements, it was cloudy. It was daylight now, but harder to see due to the debris in the water. Cameron went left, Delilah went right, they would meet in the middle dock area.

Cameron crossed the channel quickly. At first there was just shore line along this side. Swimming along she did find a ship at anchor. It was long, so she planted two charges on it, starting the timers at 1:45 and 1:44. Moving deeper into the harbor, she found docks with small craft. Coming to another dock, she found the sub. Knowing sub hulls were tougher than ship hulls, she set three charges on it. Another sub was on the other side, she planted three more setting the timers with the proper count down. At 1:35, there was another large ship at dock. She placed this charge right where the engine room should be. The bag was still 3/4 full. She had plenty of charges to set.

Delilah came up under a large anchored ship and planted two charges on it. Coming to long docks, she was set to plant charges on four ships, then saw the shape of a diver in the water. She settled down to the bottom and waited until he was done with whatever he was doing and surfaced. The wait cost her fifteen minutes. She swam under this ship and put the charges on that ship and the one beside it on the dock sides of the ship, across from the dock pylons. She then did the same with the two ships on the other side of the dock.

Delilah planted her charges on the last ship. The large hull before her moved back and pinned her between the ship and the dock. Delilah's structure took the abuse. She found she could not move. with her body held flat and under water, her arm strength was not enough to push the ship off her. Suddenly, the ship moved away. Hearing tugboat engines, she realized this ship was leaving. To try to get around the ship meant possibly being sucked up into the tugboat's props. She grabbed the dock pillar and held on as the ship was pulled away to begin it's voyage until the charges went off. She lost another ten minutes waiting for the ship to get clear.

Finally, Delilah moved on. She went on passing by small boats and planting her charges on the larger ones.

Having found a few military ships, Cameron had less than a half a bag of charges left by the time she met Delilah under a wharf. They had 57 minutes to go, and 22 charges left between them. The pilings here were concrete. They needed to plant the charges on something metal. Looking around Delilah pointed to some piping under the wharf. The two foot diameter piping was metal. They stuck ten charges on it, all set with one master timer to ensure they all went off together. 46 minutes left, they swam out to the harbor side of one ship to surface briefly and see if there were any they missed.

Anchored in the harbor was a ship that looked like it was under construction. It was 1000 feet long and had a flat deck. They swam to it and put all their remaining charges against one side, low on the hull. 32 minutes left, they took off, swimming out of the harbor. Staying close to the bottom they headed for their meeting point with Catherine.

.

Catherine Weaver exited the water at a rocky shore with steep banks. Taking on a sand colored wolf form, she put her bag in her body and sprinted inland. Running past people, she noted their surprised expressions. She was gone before they were able to raise any kind of alarm. Loping along in a fast run, she got to the tank farm.

From behind a hillock, she studied the area. There were cameras and armed guards patrolling. She also noticed a drainage ditch. Slinking down into the runoff channel, she slithered along in snake form, careful to maintain camouflage and stopped when a human was in view. Coming to the grating over the channel as it entered the tank farm, she formed a razor-jawed mouth bit down and crushed/ripped the grating. Slithering through the hole, she got past the cameras and guards and into the forest of tall tanks.

A few shaped charges on supply pipes, and a charge on every tank she could find, Catherine emptied her bag and still didn't get all the tanks. Leaving her empty bag and the AK 47, she stalked isolated guards and speared them with her arms. Once she killed every guard she could find, she slithered back out the way she came. She had 35 minutes to get back to the meeting point.

The tip of a peninsula, rather 100 yards off shore of that tip, the terminators met back together with 4 minutes left. When they swam away, they did so quickly, wanting to get as far away as possible. They also stayed relatively shallow, only 50 feet down to lessened the impact of the concussion wave when all those charges blew. When the charges went off, they heard and felt a mighty push from behind.

On time, all the charges did blow. Individually, each charge was only twenty pounds equivalent of TNT. When they went off together it amplified the explosive power of each. The water in the harbor seemed to jump up as the massive amount of explosions all went off. Instead of just blasting a hole, each charge made it's hole and the concussion waves came together to blast back out in another concussion wave, ripping the holes wider. Oil in two tankers spread out in the harbor. The place under the wharf where the pipe was wrapped with explosives blasted bits of concrete high in the air. Oil shooting up out of the gaping hole in the pipe lit, causing a fire. Ships tipped and took on water everywhere in the harbor. Kilometers away, a tank farm seemed to explode, splashing a mass spray of oil and diesel fuel out that ignited a huge, smoking fire that formed a dark black cloud overhead.

While emergency crews raced to contain the devastation, the Terminator trio got on course and dove to 200 feet and swam their way towards their pickup point. They found a sinking ship along the way. It was going down slowly, so Delilah came close and helped it out with a few shots from her plasma canons along the bottom of the hull. Good, it was sinking faster now. They moved on.

.

Captain Cutter followed another strange set of orders and parked off the coast of Saudi Arabia in international waters. Arriving at the designated point late in the afternoon, he had the Navigator adjust for currents and tide to maintain their position. Opening his orders upon arrival, he shook his head with a grin. He was to pick up Cameron and Delilah Connor as well as Mrs. Weaver. His only question was, how they were getting here? The only thing he could think of was by boat.

Spending the night at their designated spot, the sea was quiet. except for no land being in sight, it was almost like being tied up at the dock. Ships passed by in the distance but none came close. Cutter had topside lights turned on and had two watches constantly searching to the sides for small craft.

At 4 AM, the port side watch called, "Port side amidships, I see unidentified fish ... Damn, we got mermaids in the water!"

The bridge watches looked over the side. Three forms surfaced not far from the ship. They looked up and waved, then swam close.

The OOD had the swimmers brought aboard and the Captain woken up. The Marine, Charlie lowered a rope and bar ladder over the side. Cameron climbed up.

"Welcome aboard again, Mrs. Connor!" Charlie called down. "Need any help?"

"This ladder is a big help," Cameron told him and pulled herself up the side of the ship by her arms. Gaining the top, Charlie helped her over onto the deck, then helped Delilah over the rail. Catherine had reformed her legs, and was in her white dress when she hopped over the rail.

Captain Cutter came down and welcomed them aboard and had a blanket brought out so Cameron and Delilah could change out of their mermaid tails in privacy on deck. Getting their clothes out of the waterproof baggies in their belly pouches they put on regular shirts and shorts. They just forgot shoes. They carried their mermaid tails up to their quarters.

Captain Cutter told Catherine, "It's good to see you again. I have no idea where you swam from, but it had to be a long swim. We are nowhere close to land."

"It was a long swim. We are grateful you're here to pick us up," she replied.

"Would you like something to eat before you rest. I'm sure you must be tired," he offered.

"Yes, please," Cameron said.

Early breakfast started at 5 AM at sea, Cameron and Delilah were the first in line. They needed some nutrients. As breakfast went on, they stayed to talk to some of their friends they had made when they were on board before.

Nancy asked, "OK, I have to know, is there any stranger place we're going to have to pick you up at?"

"We don't know," Cameron told her. "The Arctic maybe?"

"No, that's really cold up there," Nancy said with a frown. They then laughed.

The helicopter crew was getting ready to take off. Right after breakfast, the terminator trio was flown away to the mainland to catch a plane. The aircraft was another military cargo plane. They stayed with that plane all the way to Kennedy in New York, then caught a more civilian looking military plane back to the Palmdale air force base.

.

Iran was desperately looking for clues as to who had made the 'unspeakable terror attack' against them. Nothing had been seen on radar, no patrols had seen anything, no unaccounted for ships or boats were anywhere near that harbor, no submarines except for theirs. Finding the AK 47 Catherine dropped, and another in the water near the end of the peninsula on the west side of the harbor, it was determined, despite wanting to blame the attack on the US, that a local organization was responsible for putting the harbor out of commission. They shifted to other possibilities, like Saudi Arabia or Israel. By the men killed at the ruined tank farm they had to consider it might even be radicals in Iran itself, which was a terrifying prospect. In public, they still blamed the attack on the US, even though the closest US vessel was 100 miles away and had never even came close to the area.

There were only three people left alive who had a good clue about where that attack had come from. It had happened not long after their special ops team sent to collect the energy weapon had been wiped out. They knew no country would risk a war by making such a bold attack. Individuals would, however. They decided not to share their suspicions with anyone, or risk such an action again.

.

Joan and Allison were loving first grade. They got to sit together and best of all today when they left class, all their mommies were outside, waiting for them. Delilah was holding Jackie, so Joan dove into Cameron's arms then added Delilah to the 'welcome home' hug.

Excited, Joan announced, "Mommies! Me and Allison are in First grade now! We passed our smart tests, and we even get to sit together! We're learning about dinosaurs and places in the world, did you know there used to be the BIG dinosaur birds that were the size of airplanes?" she said in one breath.

"I heard of them, yes," Cameron agreed.

"We also learned that even if someone says 'kick the ball as hard as you can' doing kickball, don't!" Joan added firmly. "I did and got real strange looks from everyone."

Allison giggled and added, "Joan kicked out to the road and it hit a car right through the passenger window and bonked this lady on the head. When my turn came, I only kicked it hard enough to hit the fence."

Cameron and Delilah laughed.

Inside, Mrs. Potter watched them leave. She had heard much about Cameron and Delilah Connor. She had imagined fairly tall women who were muscle bound. They both looked too short and petite to be champion football players, even if they were these cyborgs from the future. Apparently Joan had inherited her mother's strength. Never had she seen a 4 year old belt a ball all the way across the school's athletic field and onto the road! Allison had also kicked it all the way to the back fence. Even the heftiest first grader wasn't able to do that. Reviewing the tests she gave today, she note both of them got perfect scores.

Great strength and very smart. These were two very special kids.

.

John went through the lounge and noted Sonja sitting down, hand on her chin as she stared off at nothing. He stopped and asked, "Sonja, what's up?"

Sonja flatly said, "The ceiling."

Biting back a smirk, John sat down by her. "I mean, you look kinda down. Something wrong?"

"I am one hundred percent operational."

Typical terminator answer. He tried, "Good. How about … are you feeling OK? Do you feel depressed?" he asked.

Sonja frowned slightly and said, "I miss George."

"The furry guy," John said. He almost said 'furry pervert', but refrained. Somehow he knew that would not help Sonja's mood.

"He made me feel good," Sonja explained. "Whenever I saw him, he paid all his attention to me." She looked and John and added, "John, I know you, Cameron and Delilah do your very best for me. I do like you all, very much. But there was something about George that made me feel happy just to be near him."

"He called you his Goddess," John said knowingly.

"I cannot explain it, but that, and other things he did, even taking me by the hand to go do something silly, made me feel like I was special," she explained.

John wiped his mouth in thought. Sonja was having feelings for George. He didn't like the guy, but apparently George had made a big impression on Sonja. "I have to tell you the truth. I don't think George is the type of guy who would settle for one woman, or be very stable. He rode a chunk of lumber through a flood and thought it was fun. Sonja, he may have treated you well because he never saw anyone like you before. I'm not saying this to discourage you. I just want you to be careful. A guy like that can be fun, yes. He may also …. Make you sad and not even think about what he's doing. I don't want to see you hurt."

Sonja cast him a smile and put an arm around him. "I know John. You do your best for me. Can you tell me why I have these constant thoughts about George?"

John took her hand and said, "Because he treated you well, and you like that, right?"

"I do," Sonja agreed.

"So, you like George. From what I saw, he likes you on some level," John said. He then paused and chuckled. "I never thought we'd be having this kind of talk." He thought for a moment then said, "Cameron and I have been together for seven years, I think it is. It wasn't a smooth start either. The thing is, I want Cameron to have a happy life. That is and always will be my number one priority. I know Cam feels the same about me. I want the same for you, as I am sure Cameron and Delilah do also. We can go try to look George up if you want, but please, take it easy until you truly get to know him."

Sonja leaned over and kissed John on top of the head. "Thank you, John. I will try to live up to your expectations."

"NO," John said quickly. "In this case, see if George lives up to your expectations. It's very possible you can be friends, even good friends. But don't do anything rash. OK?"

"What is rash?" Sonja asked.

"Accepting a marriage proposal, having sex, fondling or doing anything you do not truly want to do," John said firmly.

"I understand. Can we go look for George now?"

John immediately came up with a laundry list of reasons why they couldn't and shouldn't. That would not be fair to Sonja. He nodded and said, "Let's go see if the Excursion is out in the driveway."

They went out to look for the vehicle. Damn it, Cameron took the jeep, the big SUV was out here.

.

Sonja showed John where Todd's house was. John knocked on the door. Todd came out in a thin fog of pot smoke.

"Hey fella, what's up?" he asked.

John motioned to Sonja and said, "Sonja's looking for George. Know here he is?"

"Naw man. Hey! He lives in that apartment building right down there. Number 28. Might be home, I dunno." Todd said with a shrug.

"Thanks," John said.

John drove down to the apartment building. He and Sonja went up to the second floor and found number 28. Even John heard the noises coming from within.

" _Oh babe, yeah like that. Ohhh you're a sweetheart, you're staying the night, aren't you? I'll even get that Chinese stuff you like."_

John let out a huff. He was about to turn and tell Sonja they better just go, when a big hand slammed into the door, knocking it down into the room. He spun to see Sonja, red eyed and wearing a terminator face.

"NO, don't kill him!" John cried automatically.

Sonja stepped into the doorway to see George on the couch with a mannequin. Half undressed as the mannequin was, George gapped at her like a fish.

John peeked in from behind her and suddenly felt sorry for George.

"Who is that?" Sonja asked flatly as her fists curled up.

George moved his jaw up and down as he continued to stare wide-eyed at Sonja.

"Do you not speak?" Sonja asked heavily in a challenge. Angry that George was with another woman she shot a hand out and grabbed the woman by her neck. Sonja lifted her up and her head rolled off. The neck was plastic, now splintered plastic as was the head.

"Sonja?" George was finally able to squeak out.

Sonja took in the situation. It wasn't a real woman George was with. It wasn't even a cyborg. It was just a dummy.

Sonja dropped the dummy. "What were you doing?" she asked in a more normal tone.

Still on the floor, George finally got his mouth to work. "I … I though I'd never see you again. I … tried going out… it never worked … I saw other girls, but none of them is you," he said weakly. "I was … getting very lonely … I… didn't know what else to do."

John stood in the hallway, hand pressed to his mouth. He did NOT want to laugh at a time like this.

Sonja tipped her head slightly. "You didn't want to go out with any other woman?" she asked.

"No!" George cried. "I mean, once met you, all the other girls are plain and too damn normal! They demand a lot and give hardly anything, if anything at all! After meeting you, there is no equal to my Goddess! Sonja, please, let me go out with you, or just … go walk around. Just spend some time with me … please?" he begged.

Sonja felt bad for George. She also felt good that he didn't want to see anyone else besides her.

Getting up on his knees, George asked in a beg, "Spend some time with me, please?"

Sonja reached out and drug him to his feet, planting his head in her chest. George hugged her and cried. "It will be OK, George," she said softly and petted his head. "Let's clean this place up and go get dressed Then we can go do something, OK?"

John coughed and asked, "Sonja, do you want me to wait, or come back to get you?"

"Please come back and get me later, John." she said.

"OK. Got your phone?"

"I do."

"Call when you need me. See you later."

John cringed, but apparently George was head over heels about Sonja. He had to let them figure it out for themselves.

Maybe she could get him to at least shave.

.

After John left, Sonja picked up the door and put it back in place. "I am sorry I broke your door," she offered.

George shrugged and said, "At least you're here. I did look for you, but have no idea where your apartment is."

"I don't live in an apartment. I live in the Connor house, up on the hill," Sonja replied. The hinges and the latch on the door were broken. It would not stay in place. "Your door has been terminated. Can you get another one?" she asked.

"Hey, no problem!" George said happily. "I'll just go down to Eric, the maintenance guy's place and ask him to come fix it."

Sonja let go of the door and moved it out of the way. "I will stay and guard your things," she told him.

"Thanks," he beamed. He went to leave then stopped and said, "I am really, really happy to see you. I won't be long."

While George was gone, Sonja glanced over at the mannequin. She propped the door in place and crushed the mannequin into slivers then filled George's garbage can with it.

"George doesn't need you any more," she said to the can, then went back to watch the door.

.

"Damn it George what'd ya do this time?" the maintenance man asked as he saw the bottom of the door tipped in.

"Ain't my fault," George said. I think Sonja thought she caught me with another woman and she kinda … knocked real hard."

The older man with the ball cap and his utility tool belt eyed the long crack in the center of the door. He also noted the split where the striker plate for the latch was torn out. "Damn, what did she knock with, a battering ram?" he asked. He pushed the door in and stood it up and looked at the casing. Shaking his head he said, "George I'm going to need to replace the whole casing too. This isn't going to be cheap."

"I'll pay for it." Sonja said.

Turning he saw Sonja. "Holy shit! You're a tall one! The ceiling is seven six, and you're taking it all up!"

"I am only seven four. I have a two inch clearance," Sonja replied.

"Shit, no wonder this door gave way. Knock easier next time, OK?" the man asked. To George, he said, "I don't have the ready cash to spring for buying a new door, So either I have to call the manager, which means he'll know about this, or you can pay for it. You're on thin ice with him, so cough it up it ya can."

"I will go with you and pay for the new door," Sonja said.

"That seems right, you did break it," the man agreed. He propped the door against the wall and told George, "You best stay here and look after your things. Make sure no one gets sticky fingers." Shifting back to Sonja he waved and said, "Come on, what's your name?"

"Sonja."

"Ahh, like the one in the Conan movie. You're a lot taller than she was though. I'm Eric, let's go buy a door and frame."

.

While Sonja was gone getting George a new door, he called Todd and Hector and shared the news that Sonja had come to see him. He'd just gotten off the phone with Hector when the next door woman came to look at the open doorway.

The plump woman in her robe frowned and asked, "What did ya do? Get raided by the cops?"

"No Marcie, Sonja came to visit. She knocked the door down," George explained. "She went with Eric to go get me a new one."

"Damn, she musta been plenty angry at ya to take your door completely out," Marcie stated.

"She wasn't happy at all. Came in with these red eyes, glaring at me," George explained. "She thought I was with another woman." He then beamed a smile and added, "But since she was mad about that, I figures she does like me some."

Marcie looked at the splinters on the floor and shook her head. "Ya best not play around with this one, She'll likely kill ya," she stated.

"Oh no, I'm not going to do anything like that, not with Sonja. Wait till you see her, she's a … Goddess!"

Marcie eyed him. "Got a set of those pumped up boobs, does she?" she asked.

"Not Sonja, she's all natural," George beamed. "Also she's got this bright red hair, and her legs go on forever! She knows how to jam too! We helped her and her cousins do a concert up at that charity event. I'll tell you, we were rocking! She sings pretty good too. Marcie, I'm telling you, there's no one else like her in the world. She's a big woman, but THE best one I have ever met."

"Big huh, like over 200 pounds?" Marcie asked.

"Dunno," George said, scratching his cheek. "Never asked her weight. Never even thought about it, to tell the truth."

Marcie laughed. "Mr. 'they gotta have great stats' never asked her weight?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She does have great stats. They are just … bigger than most," George said with a shrug.

Marcie laughed at him. "Yup, she's over 200! Never thought you'd go for a plumper, as you call us."

"Sonja isn't fat," George said defensively. "She's just really tall. Her hair brushing the ceiling, tall."

"Now you're screwing with me," Marcie stated. "You're saying this Sonja is seven feet tall?"

"Yeah, seven four, is what she said," George said firmly.

"OH bullshit," Marcie announced. "If she is that tall, she'd be out playing basketball or be doing professional wrestling."

"She just made a movie with her cousins," George shot back. " Don't know the name of it but She and Delilah did a lot of sword fighting in it. Suppose to be coming out next spring," he said firmly.

Marcie planted her hands on her ample hips and said, "Yah, Ok, some giant movie actress and musician is going out with you? George, why don't I believe a word of it?"

Frowning at her, George pointed his finger and said, "You just wait and see! Sonja's coming back with Eric and my new door!"

Grinning, she asked, "So where'd ya find this one, in a tall women's store? Won't the first one be jealous?"

"Just wait and see!" George told her.

Eric's voice came from down the hall. "Easy, don't want to damage it. Sure you don't want help with that?"

"I got it."

Marcie looked out to see Eric in the hallway. The biggest woman she'd ever seen came out of the elevator carrying a new door and frame. She was taller than the door! Marcie's jaw dropped as Eric led Sonja down the hall.

"Hey, Marcie, move back, we got a door to put in," Eric told her. Motioning to Sonja he said, "Lean it over here, on the other side of the hall. I gotta take out the old framing first.

"See Marie, I told ya!" George said triumphantly.

"I will help," Sonja said. She ripped the old framing apart pulling the pieces down with her hands.

"Hey George, take the chunks out to the dumpster, will you?" Eric asked.

'Yeah, sure," George said. He beamed Marcie a satisfied grin, then picked up all the pieces he could carry and went down the hall.

Marcie stood in place and watched as the new door was put in. Rather, she watched Sonja. The woman was HUGE! She was slim and pretty also. Not unhealthy skinny, but well built for her size. Apparently strong too, ripping the door casing away like that.

"What do you see in George?" she asked.

Involved with putting the new door in Sonja didn't answer. They got the door in and coming back from his third trip to the dumpster, Eric gave George two of the three new keys. "I need to put a new core in the lock, so I'll be by later," Eric told George. To Sonja, he said, "Be careful with this one. See you folks in a bit."

"Thanks!" George said and waved. Beaming a smile at Sonja, he asked, "What do you want to go do?"

"We should wait until Eric gets back to replace the core," Sonja stated. "We can go out later if it's not too late."

"OK, so want to watch some TV?" George asked and opened the door for her.

"Yes, but no sex, or fondling," Sonja replied.

"Can we hold hands?"

"That is permissible," Sonja told him, and went in.

A happy George followed her, in pausing to stick his tongue out at Marcie.


	47. Chapter 47

Ch 47

Trying to learn how to swim, Joan found she had to work hard to stay up on top of the water. Allison wasn't quite as bad but they both found it much easier to swim holding onto floats. Cameron had a solution.

Measuring them, Sonja and Claire, she ordered them all mermaid tails. The next Saturday, in the pool at home, Cameron and Delilah showed them how to swim with their new tails. Claire found it was excellent exercise, even though it was harder because swimming with a mermaid tail required using your whole body. Sonja needed the web fingered gloves Cameron and Delilah used, or she'd tip towards the bottom.

John got a video camera and recorded their progress. Claire didn't do too badly and flushed when she saw John taking a video of her. Allison with her tail and her gloves on cried, "Watch me!" as she swam past her mother then dove down to shoot straight up with half her body out of the water before she splashed back down. He got a video of Joan diving under at the deep end to jump up and land on the deck, beaming him a big smile. Sonja cruised the deep end near the bottom, and kept slapping her hands on the bottom as she went back to the shallow end. Even with the gloves, she was having a hard time staying horizontal. Cameron swam by her, urging her to 'tip up' to stay off the bottom.

Going back to the shallow end, Sonja and Cameron knelt in the shallow water.

"Sonja, do you bring in air before you go under?" Cameron asked.

"No, I do not need to simulate breathing," Sonja told her.

"Taking in all the air you can makes your torso more buoyant," Cameron explained. "Draw in all the air you can before we try again."

Sonja nodded and breathed in, expanding her torso. She and Cameron dove back in and swam. This time, Sonja had to dog paddle with her hands, but stayed up off the bottom. Tipping up like Cameron was showing her helped also. They got to the far end to find Joan had joined them. Joan rose to surface and held onto the edge. Sonja joined her, pulling her head and shoulders out of the water.

"That was great Sonja, you're learning!" Joan beamed.

"Cameron is a good teacher." Sonja replied.

Making it to the deep end edge, Claire huffed out a breath and said, "This is work! I swear I can feel my belly tightening up, though."

"Be careful not to get a cramp," Cameron warned.

Allison popped up between Claire and Cameron. "Joan! Let's race to the other end!" Both girls took off with a dive, and played 'whale' surfacing for breath a few times as they swam hard to the shallow end. Kicking with their tails and paddling with their hands, they made to other end quickly.

At the grill, Mark called out, "Who's hungry?"

"I AM!" Joan, Allison and Claire called back.

"No going back in for at least an hour after you eat!" Cameron called out.

"Be careful taking your tails off," Delilah added. She got out with the girls to help them out of their tails to be sure they gt out all right.

Mark found out the single package of hot dogs wasn't nearly enough. Both Joan and Allison had one in each hand as they sat down to eat, piled with mustard relish. As soon as those were gone, they each came back for two more. Claire had a few, then flopped down in a lounger beside Daniel and passed out for a nap.

After some discussion, it was decided tomorrow they were going up to Canyon Falls Park to test their swimming ability. Cameron knew the 'fish heads' were going to be there, so the timing was good.

Delilah went over to John to see the video footage he got. He did get some good shots of her and Cameron showing the girls how to swim and the 'race' of Joan and Allison to the other end of the pool.

"This is great," John said. "Joan and Allison took right to the water. I never learned to swim except for survival swimming."

"Oh really?" Delilah asked. Seeing Jackie holding her hands up, Delilah picked her up and gently elbowed John. "Guess who's getting a tail next," she said with a wink.

"But, I …" John started.

"Need to learn," Delilah said quickly. "If Joan can do it, I know you can do it." She then exposed a breast so Jackie could have her lunch.

Oh boy. John looked over at Mark. He was an athletic guy, maybe he would learn too.

.

Charlie Farnsworth called Saturday night. He wanted Cameron, Delilah and Sonja to do some promotional photos. Cameron convinced him that Canyon Falls Park would be a good place to do that with the waterfall in the background. They could do the shoot, then stay and join the activities. With the other people around, it would also add interest for the movie. Charlie agreed.

.

Sunday, Cameron, Delilah and Sonja wore their costumes, complete with weapons to Canyon Falls Park. With the back of the Excursion loaded with mermaid tails, swords and Cameron's staff, Joan rode on the Young's car, which was fine with her. She got to ride with Allison. Claire was sore from the previous day's swimming, but her tail was brought anyway. She thought swimming slow in the water would help her recover from her 'oochies'. Even Sarah wore a swimsuit under her clothes.

Luckily, when they got there a little after 9AM, there was some front row parking left. Cameron backed into the spot and they piled out and unloaded. Propping the weapons up against the side of the car, people noticed and came to watch. Mark, Daniel, Claire and the girls began unloading the tails and took the them to the 'roll off' area while The 'movie trio' headed for the beach facing the waterfalls to find a good place to do the shoot, Delilah and Sonja wearing their sword and scabbards.

They quickly drew a crowd.

John found a spot that looked good, straight across from the falls. As they pondered the spot on the beach to use, Charlie and his crew arrived. They set up and a Park Ranger came over. Charlie showed him the permit and explained this was a shoot to promote his movie.

Like on the set, a taller chair was brought for Sonja so she could sit and be 'made up' along with Cameron and Delilah.

Each one got individual shots of wielding their weapons, and just standing, casting the camera an even stare, then all three were in a couple shots together. A large fan was used to make their hair blow back and look 'full'.

While the photo shoots were going on, Sarah oversaw Joan and Allison putting their tails on. A few other girls were there in their tails. They promised to watch over the two small kids in the water. They got a surprise when Joan rolled off the walk and with a splash of her tail, swam away.

Clear of the walkway, Joan popped to the surface and called, "Allie, come on!"

Allison rolled off and dove under, then came up and followed Joan. They dove again to come up twenty yards away.

A brunette watching said, "Wow for being so little they are good!"

"They have been practicing," Claire told her. "I honestly don't know where they get their energy." She was a little slower getting her tail on as she watched the girls.

The pair came back underwater and surfaced by the walkway. Allison called, "Come on Mom! There's plenty of room to swim here! It's deep too!"

"Can you do your jumps?" Claire asked.

"We can!" Allison replied brightly. Both she and Joan dove under and swam to the bottom, then swimming fast, broke the surface to just clear the water before they dove back in , barely making a ripple. They dove again, this time coming up vertically to jump most of the way out as they spread their arms and yell, "Yay!"

"Who taught them to do that?" a blond asked.

"Cameron. She taught me too," Claire told them.

The blond asked, "Why didn't Cam and Delilah come to college this year?"

"They're making a movie. They are in their movie costumes right now, up by the falls," Claire told her.

The girls swam off to go see. Joan and Allison followed them. Claire note Sarah followed them, going up the walkway. Good she could just swim easy.

"They look gracefully," Mark said.

"Yeah, they do," Daniel agreed.

After all the still shots, Sonja and Delilah did some sparring for pictures. The cameraman had to tell them twice to stop smiling as they 'fought' back and forth so he could get good shots. He then had to coax Joan and Allison to the side to so their heads in the water weren't in the pictures.

"Do Inigo and the Man in Black!" Joan called.

Sonja looked around and said, "We don't have the room."

Looking behind them, Delilah pointed and said, "Over there, by the rocks."

They sheathed their swords and went over. Delilah face the crowd and said, "Everyone, please say back. We are going to reenact the cliff scene from the Princess Bride. The swords we have are real, and we don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Stay far back," Sonja added.

Delilah climbed over a rock and they began from when Wesley was helped onto the top by Inigo. The crowd watched intently as the two went through the dialog, then began the sword fight scene. After ten minutes of 'fighting' vigorously back and forth, reciting the comments and grinning like fools, they finally finished to a rousing applause. They took a bow, then Delilah announced, "Swim time!"

A few guys wanted to handle their swords. Sonja and Delilah let them, staying close by. The men were surprised at how heavy they were. Once the curious had handled the heavy broadswords, Delilah and Sonja took them back to the car and stripped to their bikinis.

More pictures were taken by the crowd.

As Sonja and Delilah got ready for their swim, a woman and her cameraman came up to Cameron, who'd just gotten her mermaid tail on.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Cameron Connor?" the blonde with dark roots asked. "I'm Sylvia Weston with Young Miss Magazine. May I speak with you for a while?"

Cameron said, "Sure". She turned and climbed up onto the railing to sit, and asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, you!" Sylvia said brightly. "The interview you gave on TV was very informative. It was played again today. Everyone is talking about you and the other cyborgs. I'd like to do a more personal interview. I take it from what you say in your last interview, that the government has finally clear you to speak freely. You have been here in our time a while, why did it take so long for the truth to come out?"

"A few reasons," Cameron told her. "When I first arrived, we were at war with Sky Net. It was questionable if we would win or not. Make no mistake, it was a tough fight against an entity that we had to find before it could start what we called Judgment day and launch nuclear weapons. We had to hide, we had to fight. It was after John and would never stop until he was dead, or we killed it. Until close to the end, the government didn't even know what was going on, and Sarah and John were considered fugitives and terrorists because of the destruction of what we knew were Sky Net facilities. We didn't just have to worry about Sky Net, but our own law enforcement as well. It wasn't until we met an FBI agent and an LA policeman who wanted to know the truth, that we got any assistance at all."

"It was just the three of you, against everyone?" Sylvia asked.

Cameron nodded. "For a while, that is correct."

"I bet you are glad that's over now."

Cameron shook her head. "It's not over yet. Sky Net will not come to be, that is true. We don't know how many of it's terminator slaves and Grays, humans working for Sky Net, are still out there. There could be none but we can't take that chance. We are still vigilant, but now we do not have to be looking over our shoulders every second of every day. To any Grays I say, just give it up and walk away. We have ensured Sky Net will not come to be. To any Terminators out there, I say, come to us and surrender. We can get rid of the Sky Net programming and help you learn and become more than you are. If you do not, and hurt anyone, we will have to hunt you down and destroy you."

"Another interview?" Delilah asked as she approached.

"Yes. Sylvia, this is Delilah Connor," Cameron said, motioning to her. "And Sonja."

"Yes, they are doing a movie with you," Sylvia said. "They are cyborgs too?"

"We are," Delilah said, beaming the Camera a smile. "Cameron and John saved us. We're no longer Sky Net slaves."

"Cameron and John are my heroes," Sonja said firmly.

"I think Cameron and John are everyone's heroes" Sylvia said brightly. "Cameron, I understand you met the President?"

"We did," Cameron agreed. "We got pardons, and medals. Sarah, who was the first to discover Sky Net existed, got the civilian equivalent to the Medal of Honor for her long fight, most if it alone, against Sky Net," she explained.

To Sonja, Sylvia asked, "What was it like to be a Sky Net Terminator?"

Sonja frowned. "I don't know how to relate it human-wise properly. I was … limited in what I could do, or even think. I received orders and carried them out. That was all I did. I could not question what I was to do. I could not search for an alternative or modify a mission. It was very restrictive."

"That must have been horrible for you!" Sylvia said in a gasp.

"Then, I didn't know anything else. Now, I can say, yes it was bad," Sonja told her. "Looking up the term 'slave', I discovered that I was a slave. I'm not any more. I can think and I control my actions and do what I want to do. The movie we made was fun doing it. Delilah and I sword fight not to hurt each other, but to have some fun. I sang in a concert as well With Delilah and Cameron. I think I may be getting a boyfriend also. I could not do any of this while Sky Net was in my head."

"And these other terminators that are out there, if any are left, are they the same?"

"They are." Delilah agreed. "And the worst part about it? They probably do not have the reasoning ability to even know they are slaves, now without a master. As of yet, they have not even seen Cameron so they don't know what they are truly capable of, or even the fact they can change their destiny. I would sooner try to save them than destroy them, but if it comes to it, we have to destroy them if they can't be saved."

Sylvia glanced at each of them and said, "It sounds like there is no middle ground with you at all."

"There can't be," Cameron stated. "Sylvia, we are sentient, we make our own decisions. Sky Net slaves have been denied that. Think of someone who's been brainwashed and is holding a gun on you. If you cannot get them to surrender, it's kill them, or they kill you. We are individuals now, but we are still terminators, and always will be. Defending our family and friends is our top priority. Our mission, if you will. We will never back down from that."

"You took the bullets aimed at the Governor," Sylvia said.

"I did," Cameron agreed. "I can take the hits, he would have been seriously injured or killed."

"If that man would have aimed at John instead, I would have shot a plasma charge at him to kill him instantly instead of just knocking him out with a plate," Delilah stated.

"But … You are here swimming and having fun, and you, Cameron and Delilah played college football," Sylvia said, sounding confused.

"We will again when we return to college," Cameron said. "We do like to have fun, and to learn. If danger comes, we are also unstoppable killers. That is why the government keeps a close watch on us. If the need arises, they want to be sure we stand for our country and our people. Which we do. We want peace and prosperity, but are more than capable of backing it up with war if the need arises."

"If we have a target, we will take them down," Delilah stated.

Sylvia cast them a weak grin and said, "I just felt a shiver up my spine."

Cameron and Delilah laughed.

"Mommies, HELP!" Joan cried.

They turned to see Joan and Allison struggling to hold Claire up as they swam towards them. "Mom has a bad cramp!" Allison cried.

Cameron back flipped off the rail and into the water. Sonja stepped off the walkway and splashed down to her neck in the water, Delilah held her to keep her from slipping.

Cameron swan fast to get under Claire then rose to put an arm around her. "I got her," she told the girls. Cameron brought Claire to the dock and passed her to Sonja. Sonja lifted her up and out and passed her to Delilah, who took her and laid Claire on the walkway.

"My leg!" Claire cried out, clenching her teeth.

Delilah got Claire's tail open. "Hold her tail," Delilah said and pulled Claire out as Sonja held her tail.

Cameron grabbed the edge of the walkway and catapulted her self back up on, followed by Sonja, then both girls.

"Where on your leg?" Delilah asked.

"Calf!" Claire hissed.

Delilah massaged her calf and moved her foot around. "Relax it … That's right," Delilah coaxed.

"I'm sorry," Claire said with a wince. "It happened suddenly. There was no warning."

"You're fine now," Cameron told her, "Our brave girls helped you over to us."

Allison got up on her knees and thrust her arms in the air. "We saved Mommy!" she cried. Joan mimicked her action with a, "Yay!"

"Mom, I think you've had enough for the day," Cameron told her.

"I have," Claire agreed, and dropped flat and let out a breath. "Thank you, girls."

"Helping family is the most important, right, Mom?" Joan asked.

"It is," Cameron agreed. "You both did very well."

"So this is…" Sylvia began, pointing at the girls.

"I'm Joan Connor!" Joan announced.

"I'm Allison Young! That's Cameron, the Big me!" Allison announced, pointing to Cameron.

"Yes, because you came back in time," Sylvia said knowingly. "Cameron can you tell us anything about your time in the future?"

"No," Cameron said, taking on a terminator gaze.

"Leave Cameron alone about that," Claire said with a wave of her hand. "She had a very hard time, and all that's over now. Let it be."

"Yes, let it be," Cameron agreed. She shared a smile with Claire.

"At least you have a nice and close family now," Sylvia offered.

"I do," Cameron said with a smile. Her smile dimmed some as she said, "Sometimes I wish I could go back and change some things. I can't though. Mom finally convinced me to let it go. In a way, she's right. The things that happened to Allison in the future will no longer happen. She had been freed of my fate, which I am thankful for. The same with John, and everyone. No one will have to suffer living in tunnels and sewers and eat rats in a cold, nuclear wasteland to survive."

"Would it be fair to say you've been traumatized by what you went through?" Sylvia asked.

"Everyone who has been in that future that will no longer be, has been seriously mentally affected," Cameron replied.

"You make it sound like hell," Sylvia noted.

"It was," Cameron stated. "And now, it won't happen. We stopped it."

"So, would you consider yourself a hero?" Sylvia asked.

Cameron shook her head. "No, John's the hero. Future John and my husband John. He is the one who made everything possible and helped me evolve. He is the one who saved humanity, and the planet. I just did what I could to help."

"You mentioned meeting the President. I'm curious, what did you think of him?" Sylvia asked.

"Mr. President is a good guy. He says what he thinks and talks straight. That is something to respect," Cameron replied. "If you're going to get into politics, please don't. I am sick of hearing half-truths and outright lies in attempts to further a cause. We get plenty of that in College. Things like that stir innocent people up and make people angry. It causes trouble. We won't be part of it."

"I see. So there is no chance that you might run for office then? I have heard there are many who would back you," Sylvia said.

"Never," Cameron said flatly.

"May I ask what you believe?"

Cameron frowned at her and said, "I believe in protecting my family and those who can't protect themselves. If there is a threat to that, we will make it go away. I assumed I already made that clear."

"You did," Sylvia agreed. You really don't like politics at all, do you?"

"No. Politics as it is now, is nothing more than trying to get the most people to believe you instead of the other side by any means necessary. There are very few politicians who truly work for the people who put them in office. Their concern is power and control, not what is best for those they represent. That's it," Cameron stated. "As I said, we won't be part of it."

"What if you could change the system by becoming involved?" Sylvia asked.

"No. I'd end up killing people," Cameron said flatly.

Delilah and Sonja laughed. "I can see that happening," Claire said with a smirk.

"We're warriors, not slick tongued abusers of power," Delilah stated.

"I think we're done here. I'm going for a swim," Cameron announced. She gripped the edge of the walkway and shot herself into the water. Joan and Allison followed.

"Who has Jackie? It's about time for her feeding," Delilah said and looked around.

"I got her," John said and came closer. In his arms, Jackie waved her arm and cried "Amma!"

"Here we go," John said. He knelt down and passed Jackie to Delilah then transferred the towel over his shoulder to cover Delilah's left side where he knew she was going to breast feed.

"Excuse me, Mr. Connor?" Sylvia asked. "Cameron said you are the one who saves the world?"

John cast her a grin and shrugged. "Don't need to now, it's been done already, by all of us."

"Are you worried that there might be more threats out there you haven't seen yet?" Sylvia coaxed.

John shook his head 'no', and said, "Concerned yes, not worried. Look, Sylvia, right? As long as there are things like conflict and greedy people another threat is sure to arise. I'm not going to worry about what might be. We deal with things as they come. It's pointless to worry about what might happen," he told her. "My biggest concern at the moment is getting the grill started so we can all eat."

"George," Sonja said, then looked off at nothing. "I forgot about George," she said, sounding stressed.

John winced slightly, then said, "Well, call and see if he wants to join us," he told her and handed her his phone.

"I'll go get him if he wants to come," Mark offered.

Sonja punched in his number. After a moment, she said, "George …. Yes it's Sonja… no, I can't come to the jam session, we're at Canyon Falls park … taking photos for the movie, sword fighting and swimming … Yes, hell of a time. I wanted to ask if you want to come join us … I'm sure Todd , Hector and Kay are welcome … yes, I'm wearing a bikini, as is Cameron, Delilah and Claire… Hello? George?" Sonja looked at John and said, "We got disconnected."

"He's on his way," Mark said with a grin.

"I'm sure he is," John agreed with a chuckle.

"Who's George?" Sylvia asked.

"A member of the band that played with us during the last charity festival," Sonja explained as she gave John's phone back. With a grin she said, "George likes me."

"Hope they don't get pulled over for speeding," Mark said in a mussing tone.

Claire sat up beside Delilah and asked, "Would you like me to take her for a while so you can swim?"

Delilah was burping Jackie. Jackie was intent on a few strands of Delilah's hair, pawing at it and watching her hand intently. "In a few minutes. It's nice to just sit here and hold her. Leg feel better?"

"Yes, thanks again."

"I'm going to start the grill," John announced. He and Mark walked off.

Out in the water, Cameron leaped up clearing the water to dive back in. Joan and Allison followed. They surfaced after that near a gaggle of other girls. One called out, "Hey! Anyone got a ball?"

Claire looked at their things scattered around. She found a yellow soccer sized ball. She went over and picked it up and yelled, "Catch!" then threw it.

A water-volleyball game commenced as the gaggle split up into nearly even sides.

"Mommy Two, come join us!" Joan cried.

Claire said, "Go on, I got her." and accepted Jackie from Delilah. Delilah got in position and rolled off the edge into the water. Seeing Sonja watching the game, Clair said, "Let's get you into that tail. You haven't had a chance to swim yet."

Sonja nodded and sat down. Due to her height, Sonja's mermaid tail was six and a half feet long, two feet beyond her feet, and a mottled brown color, it made her look like a giant fish. She was too long to roll off the deck opening. She sat and pushed herself off into the water. Even being so big, when she swam out under water, Claire noted she was a graceful as any of them.

At the grill, John and Mark had joined Ed from Charlie Farnsworth's group, and Daniel at the public grills. They decided to make one table the 'food' table, and put all the food there in a 'common' eating area. Derek arrived with Jesse who was in a bikini. They carried a large cooler of beer between them.

The Ranger who stopped by was invited to join them. The morning 'photo shoot' had turned into a big party by the time Todd's van arrived.

George was the first out and went straight to the falls pool, looking for Sonja. Todd had slowed George down enough to get their instruments into the van before they left. Always looking for exposure, he was glad he did. While George ran off, seeking a bikini clad Sonja, Todd got Hector and Kay to help him unload.

At the pool, George noted an Asian looking woman floating on her back in the water, but no Sonja. Another dark haired woman was relaxing in the water too, but she didn't even have a bikini on. "Where's Sonja?" he cried.

The dark haired woman looked at him, pointed, and said, "Go down that walkway, I'm sure she's swimming with the other mermaids."

"Mermaids?" George asked. There were mermaids here? He set off down the walkway. Hearing squeals of joy and laughing, he followed the walkway and the stream to find a large pond. In the bunch of girls knocking a yellow ball back and forth in the middle, he saw Sonja's bright red hair.

Slowing, he watched them intently, rising up to show shoulders and upper chests as they batted the ball back and forth. The ball sailed too far. One girl chased after it. He saw the flick of her long tail as she swam to retrieve it.

"Wow," he breathed as he walked towards this mesmerizing game.

Coming closer, he watched a couple girls swim towards the walkway to take a break. The water was clear, he had a good view of their tails and they came over. He was ready to weep at the beauty of seeing them swim.

"George!" Sonja cried and waved to him. She dove under. He swore the roll of her body briefly surfacing, then finally her wide tail took forever. Swimming under water, Sonja was a fantastic sight he'd burn into his memory. She went deep then followed the bottom up until she surfaced just on the other side of the railing to beam him a smile. "Good to see you made it," she said.

My God, he thought, is there a greater beauty anywhere? "Sonja, you are … poetry in motion," George said, gazing at her. "Absolutely lovely."

"Thank you," she beamed. "You didn't bring a swim suit?"

"Don't have one, but seeing you, I will get one," he promised.

A mini-mermaid came swimming up to them. Joan came up to the shore and tapped Sonja on the shoulder. "Sonja, Allie and I are going to go see if there's food. We're getting hungry. Want to come with us?"

"I'm going to swim a while. Make sure Cameron knows where you are," Sonja told her.

"We did! We'll be back in later, and hour after we eat," Joan said, then swam off towards the roll-off area.

"She's little, who's that?" George asked.

"Joan, Cameron and Delilah's daughter. She's four, going to be five." Sonja explained.

"Four? And she can swim like that?" George asked. "You do have an amazing family."

He noticed that as girls were getting out and taking their mermaid tails off, they all had bikini bottoms on, showing lots of leg. "Why did I never come up here before?" he asked himself.

"No one ever invited you before?" Sonja asked.

George shook his head and said, "This place is awesome."

"It is fun. Did the rest of the band come?"

George nodded. "Todd wants to jam some up here," he explained.

"Well, then go get ready. I'm going to swim a while with Cameron and Delilah, I'll see you soon," Sonja said, then turned and dove under to swim away.

George watched her in awe of how beautiful her flowing form looked. Sonja had to be the sexiest mermaid in the pond. Now he knew what a Mermaid Goddess looked like.

He needed to write her a song. Heading back to look for Todd, George thought about the rhythm and lyrics to use. He then scrubbed his head in frustration. All he could think of were songs that were already written!

.

Returning to his band, George got his drums set up There was no power out here, so Hector was limited to his acoustic guitar. Kay's keyboard had batteries and it was fully charged. Call of, "Food's ready!" drifted to him. OK, maybe if he ate something, he'd think of a song for Sonja.

George was good at picking up on rhythm from songs, but now when he wanted to think about something original, he felt lost. He had no idea how to even start. Going over to the table, he grabbed a cheese burger and put hot sauce and beans on it. He also noticed Delilah with her baby sitting by Cameron.

During the festival, Delilah has sung a song he'd never heard before. No one had, she'd made it up herself. He went over to their table and sat down across from them.

"Hey, Delilah, you made a song from scratch, right?" he asked. "How did you do that?"

Delilah smirked at him, then said, "I thought about what I wanted to say, how I wanted to say it, and why I wanted to say it. One I knew that, I wanted to set a scene by music that helped convey what I was saying. Then I put the lyrics together and decided on the tone. After that, it was a matter of joining the lyrics to the tone. I have to modify a bit here and there, and it doesn't rhyme in places, but it's what I wanted to convey to others."

George stared at her. "Wow, you are really smart!" he exclaimed.

Mark, Sarah, Claire and a few others burst out laughing at him.

"Well, she is!" George said defensively. "I mean I was trying to make a song for Sonja and … my mind just kind goes blank!"

"That's because you're an idiot, George," Kay said, passing behind him.

George turned to frown at her. "Yeah? Have YOU every made a song?" he asked in a challenge.

She stopped and scowled at him. "At least I don't dump someone who's been good to me and go ga-ga over someone I've never met before!" She sat down with a plop and focused on her plate.

"I can't help it if Sonja is just too awesome!" George replied loudly.

"Got ditched, huh?" Mark asked Kay.

Kay didn't respond. She dug into her hot dog and salad.

"George, what did you want to say in your song?" Delilah asked.

George frowned. "I dunno, I want to say how awesome Sonja is."

"You have to be more specific than that," Delilah coaxed. "What makes Delilah awesome?"

George shrugged and said , "What doesn't? I mean she real pretty, and her hair is like, bright red! She's just awesome from head to toe, and she can play the drums and Kay's keyboard. She knows how to sword fight too, I heard all about the duel you guys were did. Sonja's really strong, she also looks fantastic in a bikini, and that mermaid tail, that's just wild!"

"So, you'd say she has flaming red hair?" Delilah asked.

"Yeah, yeah, she does!" George announced happily.

"And you think she has a nice body?" Delilah coaxed.

"The best!" George cheered. "She might be real tall, but it's like, 'Here I am, worship me' Sonja is just too bad-assed!" he said brightly.

More chuckles sounded out around the table.

"Is Sonja nice to you?" Delilah asked.

"Oh yeah! Sonja is one of the few people who smiles at me," George said the glanced at Kay and added, "And doesn't call me names!"

"George? Can I help you along some? I have an idea what you want to say," Delilah told him.

"Yeah! I'd appreciate it!" George beamed.

"Later on I'll put something together to get you started," Delilah promised.

.

While Delilah was helping out a frustrated George, Charlie Farnsworth found Cameron and Sonja taking off their tails on the walkway.

"I have an idea about a new movie!" he announced. Waving his arms in motions, he said, "This one is about you three as mermaids. Imagine this, you are on a south Pacific cruise and your ships hits an iceberg…"

"Charlie, there are no ice bergs in the Pacific ocean," Cameron stated.

Charlie stared at her. "Well, there could be," he said.

"How about something more realistic," Cameron offered. "Pumice rock filled with gas from underwater volcanoes does surface randomly. Sometimes it even makes islands that will float along the water for weeks before the rock sinks back down. A ship could run into one of those floating Islands."

"Oh yeah, OK! "And the ship gets BIG hole in it from hitting rocks it didn't see…."

"The rocks are floating, they'd be bumped aside," Cameron explained. "The ship might get dents, but no holes. Plus, the lookouts would see them."

"So, it happens in a storm!" Charlie insisted. "Anyway, the damage is under water, and there are no divers on board, BUT you three dive in, make repairs and save the ship!" he announced.

"The screw hits one of the rocks and jams it so the ship can't move," Cameron offered.

"Yeah, great idea!' Charlie agreed. "Due to the storm, ships supplies are low, and help is weeks away, …"

"The radio is ruined by the storm maybe?"

"That's good, they can't call for help," Charlie agreed.

"And maybe people don't know about mermaids, so your characters are very shy about exposing themselves?" Cameron asked.

"That would work, yes," he agreed.

"And it would be more light hearted, and the mermaids fix the ship without anyone knowing how it was done?" Cameron prodded.

"I can see that," Charlie said, looking off at nothing. "I'll get my writers to work, Damn, what a great idea I have!' he said happily and walked away.

"His idea?" Sonja asked.

Cameron shrugged and said, "I'm sure it will change."

"There will be no sword fighting in this movie?" Sonja asked.

"I doubt it."

"Darn."

.

The party lasted most of the day. George jammed with his band, Cameron and Delilah were coaxed to do a few songs. Although Delilah didn't have her 'ruined robot' makeup on, she did her _Thousand year lullaby_.

For these songs, George let Sonja take the drums. Following Delilah's advice, he watched Sonja, thinking about what made her so great. He also decided he better 'borrow' the music score from another older song to use in his song.

After the impromptu concert was over Sonja tipped her head slightly as she looked at him. George was sitting and watching her closely. He was too quiet for George.

"George, You are acting different," Sonja said.

"Yeah, babe, I got a big problem I'm trying to solve," he admitted.

"Do you need assistance?" she asked.

He smiled at her, "No, I gotta figure this out for myself. I never did a lot of that, but this is something special. I just gotta get it right."

"Good luck. If there is anything I can do to help, ask," Sonja told him.

"Hey, George!" Todd said with a wave, "We're leaving. You coming or staying?"

"Coming!" George called back. He got up and hugged Sonja. "I gotta go do some serious thinking. "I'll see ya soon?"

"Yes, George," Sonja said, enjoying his head planted between her breasts.

Pulling back to look up at her, he smiled and softly said, "My Goddess."

Sonja cupped his face, bent down and kissed him. George gripped her back, his left foot lifted at the knee. They parted lips. With a big smile , George said, "I'm gonna do my best on this, for you."

Sonja returned his smile. "Then go work hard."

"You got it!" he said happily.

.

George went home with a mission. He normally didn't look up songs. Most of the night, he went through every song he could find. Around 1 AM, he was looking at songs from a singer who'd s died young. Jim Croce was hitting the charts big time when his plane crashed. This guy was good! George was listening to songs from him when a less popular one got his attention. He played it again, listening to the beat and taking notes.

It was getting light outside when George began re-doing the lyrics for Sonja. By noon, he had a good start on the song He decided to title, _Amazonian Queen_.

By afternoon, he fell asleep in his chair, snoring on his notes.


	48. Chapter 48

CH 48

George told Todd what he had planned for Sonja's song. Todd managed to get the sheet music for _Roller Derby Queen_ so they could practice it and George could make his lyrics and practice singing it.

George had to listen to the original song a few times to get the flow down. Once he did, he wasn't that good of a singer, but he didn't do all that bad either. Todd helped him with the lyrics some. George had his song though. George did his best to make sure he sang and played as good as he was able.

.

For the first time a promoter came to see Todd. He'd seen the charity concerts and liked what he saw with Todd and his band playing with Cameron and Delilah. A hotel in Las Vegas was holding a concert for a convention and they wanted a new band so they decided on Cameron and Delilah to sing and Todd's band to play.

To Todd's surprise, the money was good and they got a chance to play to a real, paying audience was chance that he couldn't pass up. He got George to ask Sonja, who in turn got Cameron and Delilah down to the garage with their kids.

Cameron listened to Todd, then said, "You will need better clothes to perform in. No undershirts. We'll go with black outfits and white outfits."

Todd winced, "But that's like our thing," he complained.

"Do you want to be noticed?" Cameron asked.

"Well, yeah," Todd said like it should be obvious.

"Then clean up your outfits," she said firmly.

"She's right, Todd," Kay agreed.

"Something Kay can wear too, so you all look the same," Delilah added.

"Aww man," George complained.

Sonja cast George an even stare. "George, I want you to look good. Think Ringo Starr," she stated.

George returned a dumbfounded look at first, then he grew a grin, "Yeah, YEAH I can do that!" he announced eagerly.

.

While the band focused on a good look, a talk show with five women was on. They got around to the subject of the Connors.

"So tell me, I'm sure we all heard of Cameron Connor, the female football player they call the Iron Maiden? You know it's come out that she's not human. She's some kind of machine."

The red head waved a hand and said, "She can't be ALL machine! Her and her sister have babies. THAT would be one hell of a trick to pull off!"

The black woman asked, "What I want to know is, with all the secrecy, what in the hell did the government do to make them like that? Are they some kind of test subjects for super-soldiers?"

The woman with the long stringy brown hair said, "From interviews, they came from the future …"

"Oh bullshit! First they were aliens, then something happened so they changed the story," The black woman stated. "Now, they are like us but strong enough to beat anyone down, and they're bullet proof! That assassination attempt on our Governor was nothing but a test by some secret section of the government to see if they DO stop bullets. I'm telling you, they get these women right, and we're going to see Robo-cops for real! When that happens we can kiss our rights goodbye!"

The blond asked, "Why would the government do that? I've watched every piece of video and every interview on the Connor women. They go to college, participate in sports, they help with charity events, they even are making a movie. I have a poster here."

A picture of Cameron, Sonja and Delilah came up on the screen, standing at the shore, waterfall in the background.

The fluffy haired Hispanic woman asked, "Damn! Who's that one on the middle, Queen Kong? I think she could beat the crap out of Arnold!"

Laughter chuckled.

"That's Sonja. With that red hair and that big sword she's packing, don't have to guess too hard on her name." The blond stated.

"I don't want to meet HER in a dark alley."

"I wouldn't want to try to bump her out of line at the grocery store, either!"

Laughter sounded.

The blond said, "The movie is _Saving Atlas_. From what I understand, the producer is claiming the best sword fight ever made with no electronic special effects. I'm curious to see it, actually."

"We got a clip?" the red head asked.

"We do. This is a scene from _Saving Atlas_ "

The scene changed to Sonja sitting on a stone bench in a fur lined leather coat, her bra chain mail and short skirt underneath, brass bracers on her forearms. In front of her was a fire with an animal roasting on a spit.

Cameron walked into the scene in her robes, two warriors behind her. Approaching meekly, Cameron asked, "I have come to seek an audience, Great Queen."

Sonja spared her a disinterested glance and said in an even tone, "You are either very brave, of very foolish coming here. Tell me why I should not kill you."

"I come in peace, and to beg for assistance," Cameron offered, stopping a few feet from Sonja.

Casting her a lazy glare, Sonja intoned, "I still have not heard why I should not kill you,"

"The Yan-zee are coming, destroying everything," Cameron said in a pleading tone. "Once they kill all of us, they will be coming for you. If we band together now, we have a chance at defeating them. I come to warn you and ask that you fight with us to save both our tribes."

Sonja shot up and grabbed Cameron by the front of her robes and lifted her one handed so they were face to face. In a heavy growl, Sonja asked, "The ones who claims we are evil want our help? The ones who hide behind their walls and throw insults, come to beg us for salvation?" Sonja then shook Cameron like a rag doll and boomed out, " **I ask again why I should not kill you!"** Her voice echoed through the room as she glared at Cameron.

Looking frightened, Cameron whimpered, "If you will help save us, and yourselves, I will be your sacrifice. It is not for my own safety I come here. It is for all our people. Mine and yours. Kill me if you wish, but please, save our people."

A crooked smile came to Sonja's face. She said in a smooth tone, "You are brave. Much braver than any other of your kind. I could use a slave. I will think it over." She dropped Cameron to sprawl on the ground and sat back down. "Now go, before I decide to kill you anyway."

Cameron meekly got up and hurried away.

The clip ended.

Applause sounded. The Hispanic woman said, "Wow, and that was with no special effects? That big girl really lifted her off her feet! I think I want to see this movie too."

"It does appear to me more story line that effects driven. I think it could be interesting," The red head agreed.

"Less flash and bang, and more characterization. This could be good," the blond agreed.

"The effects are in the fake, mechanical people they are using instead of actresses," the black woman stated.

"Go tell that to this Sonja. I dare you," The red head told her.

"You mean, tell that to these robo-cops in a few years after the government gets these things perfected," she shot back.

The red head gaped at her and asked, "You're racist, aren't you?"

"I am not racist! What I am is seeing things the way they are!" she retorted, slapping a hand on the table. "Don't even tell me the government is not behind making them. What's worse is what they did to those poor women! HOW much of them is left inside that … metal shell? Do they have any thoughts besides what the government tells them to think?"

"From what I've seen of them, they do have their own opinions," The blond said. "How can you be so sure they are controlled by some government entity?"

"It's time for you to wake up and smell the coffee," the black woman spat. "The government made them and even that little skinny one said the government watches them closely."

"You're talking about Cameron. She has also said her top priorities are her family and protecting them. That sure doesn't sound like a machine to me." the blond stated.

"How do you know she actually HAD a child?"

"Maybe because I've seen Joan. Over the last few years, I've watched Joan grow up," the blond told her.

"I've watched everything on them also," The red head said. "I always thought something was wrong with the alien story. I mean, come on, aliens that look and act like us? That can even have kids with us? There are also some AI's being made, but nothing compared to the Connor girls. If you think about it, them returning to the past to save their planet makes perfect sense. They have warned us about nuclear war, as well as thinking before we do something like creating an AI. They lived though the mistakes we made."

"So what?" the Black woman challenged. "Eventually some robo-cops are going to come to my door and are going to come stick pins under my fingernails until I agree to be cooperative?"

The red head chuckled and said "No, they will probably hypnotize you and make you think you're a Republican."

The woman at the table and the audience burst out in a roar of laughter.

The Black woman sat quiet for a moment, then said, "My worst nightmare."

They all laughed harder.

After the mirth died down, the Hispanic woman said, "There is one thing I don't think anyone has thought seriously about. These women are forming their opinions of us. We know where they came from was a brutal war zone. They are learning, or trying to learn, how our society works so they can fit in. If only one side is teaching them, that's bad news. I mean, I heard they _like_ the president! Both my young kids look up to Cameron and Delilah, my girl AND my boy. We want to help the Connors develop good social standards, for our kids will be watching them."

There was a murmur of agreement from the audience.

"Maybe we should get them on our show?" the blond asked.

Applause answered her question. It was something the producers began thinking about.

.

Fall was coming, and John knew he had to get studying for their return to college. Joan thought it was cool that Daddy had 'homework' to do, and coaxed him to do his with them in their home classroom so they all could do homework together. Claire was going back to teaching her class, so Delilah and Cameron came in to keep teaching Sonja as well as study with John.

Studying had become a family affair.

Although John was good at his computer science classes, he was struggling with physics. He'd passed, though not by very much. Cameron ended up helping him while Delilah continued on Sonja's education.

Having her school work done, Joan listened intently to Delilah and Sonja talk about Algebra. While Sonja (and Joan) was grasping the concept of using letters to stand for unknown numbers, Sonja got a phone call.

"Sonja Conner … Hello George … A song for me? Thank you George … Yes, I want to hear it. We're having class right now, say in another hour? … OK, see you then." Sonja hung up and said, "George made me a song!"

"That's great, Sonja," John told her. "Just remember, it is George, so …"

"I'm sure he did his best," Delilah added quickly.

"I was going to say be ready for anything," John finished.

"Can I hear it too?" Joan asked.

"Sure," Sonja said confidently.

John wasn't so confident. He was just hoping this song wasn't perverted.

Sonja was eager to go, and Joan was done with her homework, so they piled into the big Ford and went down to Todd's house to listen to the tribute to Sonja that George had come up with.

They arrived to find the band set up. The garage door was open. George came running out to open Sonja's door for her. Holding his hand out for her he jabbered on in a run. "Sonja! I did it. I men it wasn't easy but I made and original song just for you OK, I had to borrow some lyrics cause I can play find by making them up is really tough! Anyway I thought real hard and got a little help but I really did it!"

Holding her hand as she got out, he towed her into the garage, still jabbering on in a solid stream. "I even got a good seat for you so just come over here and listen OK and let me know if you like it I really hope you do I haven't slept much because I wanted it to be perfect but it got it finished and I want you to hear it."

"Not even pausing for a breath," John noted with a chuckle.

"He is a little excited huh?" Cameron asked with a grin.

"Just a wee bit," Delilah said with a smirk.

"Hurry up and play it George!" Joan cried.

"I will!" he said, and got Sonja sat down on a chunk of log with a blanket folded on top. "How's that, comfortable?" George asked eagerly.

"Yes, George, thank you," Sonja replied.

"Good!" George beamed and ran over to his drums. This time, George had added a microphone and stand to his set. He picked up his drum sticks and twirled them. "OK, let's go!" he announced.

 **(tune - roller Derby Queen by Jim Croce)**

 _I gotta tell you a story you won't believe_

 _Bout something that happened on a Friday eve._

 _I gotta tell ya_

 _I wasn't expecting nothing special at all_

 _We were in the garage, just jaming our score_

 _When this woman came in and my jaw hit the floor_

 _I've never seen nothing like her,_

 _not even on a movie screen_

 _Long flaming red hair, a goddess face._

 _Her legs went on forever and she walked with grace_

 _I looked up at her and I tell ya_

 _I felt pretty small_

 _See, she's seven four, four fifteen,_

 _Biggest damn woman that I_

 _ever seen._

 _She's packed tight with muscle_

 _and she knows how to wrestle and fight_

 _I'm in love with an Am-a-zonian Queen_

 _Oh wow, I do mean wow!_

 _Biggest hunk-a-woman that anybody's ever seen_

 _Yeah, she is my Goddess!_

 _Yeah she's got this sword, four feet long_

 _Just to lift it up ya gotta be strong_

 _She handles it with one hand_

 _Like it weighs nothing at all_

 _She's got a mermaid tail_

 _She swims with grace_

 _First time I seen it there was shock on my face_

 _Pure grace and beauty I was really blow away!_

 _I'm in love with an Am-a-zonian Queen_

 _Oh wow, I do mean wow!_

 _Biggest hunk-a-woman that anybody's ever seen_

 _Yeah, she is my Goddess!_

 _Oh wow, I do mean wow!_

 _Oh wow, I do mean wow!_

 _Oh wow, I do mean wow!_

 _Yeah she is my Goddess!_

After they wound down, John found himself clapping. That was actually pretty good, and for George, he thought it was very good. So did Sonja. Instead of applauding with them, she got up and went over behind the drums, picked George up and hugged him to her. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed.

Obviously, Sonja was pleased.

Since they were all there, Cameron coaxed them into talking about their outfits. Todd admitted they had yet to decide on what the band 'colors' should be. Cameron and Delilah told them they would decide tonight, for the festival was coming soon.

"Boys will wear light, black sports jackets and pants, turtlenecks and shined black shoes," Cameron stated. "Kay, myself and Delilah will wear mid thigh length skirts, light jackets and V neck blouses, shoes, all white."

"What about my black hat?" Delilah asked.

"We'll make a white one."

The band stared at Cameron.

"We gotta?" George asked in a wince.

"If you want to get paid to play, yes," Cameron stated.

Todd coughed and said, "We will, but where to we get that stuff?"

"I buy it, you wear it," Cameron told him.

"OK."

Cameron already had the stores she wanted to take them to in mind. Cameron drove to the men's store with all the boys, Delilah took Kay to a woman's clothing store. Delilah's trip in Todd's van was fast. She knew exactly what she wanted, went in and got the girl's outfits for herself, Cameron and Kay. She also found the perfect white top hat with a glittered band on it.

Cameron's trip wasn't so fast. Hector was happy with a dark gray turtleneck and black jacket. After some discussion, Cameron and Todd agreed that was the way to go. George even agreed to trim his beard. For George, this was a big concession.

By the time all the band members had gotten their clothes, Delilah and Kay arrived. They were all able to get into their own vehicles and head back home.

Cameron just pulled up to the house when her phone rang. She looked at the number calling. She didn't recognize it.

"Hello?"

"I am Steve Mason from the show, Our View. Am I speaking with Cameron Connor?"

"Yes, how did you get this number?" Cameron asked.

"I called Canyon College they have it on record."

"Who did you speak with?" Cameron asked.

"The admin department. I told them it was urgent that I talk with you.."

Cameron hung up on him, and immediately called the college as she got out of the car. John was watching her.

"Canyon College," a young woman said.

"This is Cameron Connor, someone by the name of Steve Mason called and asked for my phone number. Who gave it to him?" Cameron asked in a hard tone.

"I … don't know. Hang on please."

John watched Cameron's left hand twitch while she waited. "Who is Steve Mason?" he asked.

"Someone from a TV show. Canyon gave him my phone number," Cameron said flatly.

Another female voice came on. "Hello, Cameron? Mr. Mason said it was urgent he talk to you about being on a TV show…"

Flatly, Cameron said, "The requirements for giving out my phone number, as per Canyon's rules that I reviewed, state that unless my express permission is given, no one but family, police or medical personnel in the case of an emergency may be given my personal phone number. It that still correct?"

"But, this was for a TV show…"

"People representing TV shows are NOT on that list, are they?" Cameron stated heavily.

"But, I thought you might want to be on it."

"You are not paid to think, but to follow the rules, is that not correct?" Cameron asked.

"But … I…"

"IS THAT NOT CORRECT?" Cameron barked.

"Fine! Sorry he bothered you!" the woman spat back.

"If he calls again, you will be, for I will be demanding disciplinary action from your supervisor," Cameron snapped and hung up on her.

John winced. "Ouch, I bet she has a red ear."

"Was I wrong?" Cameron asked.

"No, you weren't wrong," John agreed. "Just, maybe a little too harsh?" he asked.

"I wanted to ensure she understood my position," Cameron told him.

"I'm sure she does," John said with a smirk.

They got inside and were getting ready for dinner, and Delilah's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Delilah Connor? This is Steve Mason from …"

"Stop!" Delilah snapped. "Where did you get this number from?"

"I … cannot say. I wanted to…"

"Mr. Mason, this is the second time you have tried to call us, and for the second time I will tell you we do not want to hear from you. Can you understand that?" Delilah asked.

"I have only called you once…"

"Right after you called Cameron five point three minutes ago. To keep trying to call us when we don't want to talk to you will be considered harassment. Do you understand that?"

"Look, I just wanted.."

Delilah hung up on him. "Let's hope he gets the hint," she said.

"What did he want?" Sarah asked.

Delilah's phone rang again. She got up and said, "Be right back."

Out of the dinning room, she picked it up. "Hello?"

"Please, don't hang up, we at Our View would really like you…"

It was him again. Delilah stick the mike end of the phone in her mouth and set her tone to an ultrasonic pitch as he rattled on. He paused, slurred a word, then the phone went dead. She put her phone away and went back into the dinning room.

"Was it Steve Mason?' Cameron asked.

"Yes, but he won't bother us any more," Delilah assured her.

John wanted to ask why, but he was afraid of what the answer might be.

.

The next day they got a call from Charlie Farnsworth. The premier showing of _Saving Atlas_ was going to be shown in Hollywood, the day after the Charity Festival, formal attire required. The 'publicity press' was going to be there, along with film critics. The audience was invitation only, as was the post-screening dinner. Cast members could bring their spouses but no others. Several 'major' studios were also sending people. Limos would be provided for cast members.

"These film makers really do make a big deal out of things," Cameron noted.

"Do we get to do a sample sword fight?" Sonja asked.

"I highly doubt it," John told her.

"Darn."

Delilah elbowed Sonja and said, "This is one of those 'smile and wave' things."

"oh."

After their study time, Cameron took Delilah back down to the 'Tall Miss' shop to get an evening gown made for Sonja before they went to their practice time at Todd's garage. Knowing this was for a screening, the ladies there went for the elegant look. A black gown that showed some cleavage and some leg, but was tasteful and had enough glitter to liven it up. Sonja thought it was pretty, and Cameron approved also. Since the ladies there highly suggested Cameron and Delilah also wear 'original' dresses, Cameron called Delilah and got her approval for a red dress. Cameron went with purple. All the designs were similar, but not the same. Cameron also got them matching hand bags for their outfits. Cameron and Delilah would also wear high heels, Sonja had flats to help her fit through doorways.

John had thought he'd get by with a standard black tux. Nope. Delilah took him to a men's shop and had a mostly black tux made with purple lapels and cumber bun, with a red shirt with a purple bow tie. He had to wear the colors for his wives. They wanted it, he'd do it for them.

John's trailer grew again this year for the festival, as did the space allowed for the concert seating. Cameron also got a surprise. She was going to give each band member $200 for playing the concert. Claire told her the concert tickets were already sold out at $50 each. With 7000 tickets sold, Cameron was allowed ten percent, $35000 to split up as she saw fit. Cameron rejected that figure, and figured $1000 per band member was sufficient.

"What about you, Delilah and Sonja?" Claire asked.

"We do this so people who need that money get it. We don't need it," Cameron told her.

"So, you only want $4000 for the band?" Claire asked.

"I was going to pay the band."

"Cameron!" Claire said, shocked, "You are not suppose to foot the bill, you do enough by agreeing to help raise the money."

"I want the money we raise to go to those who we are raising it for," Cameron stated.

Claire shook her head with a chuckle and said, "Only you, Cameron. Maybe that's one of the reasons I'm so proud of you."

Cameron smiled. She like that Claire was proud of her.

.

Steve Mason woke up on the floor, his right ear, the one he had to his phone, bore a pulsing pain and was ringing loudly. So loud it was nearly unbearable. He immediately went to the doctor to see what caused it. The headache he had was thankfully subsiding. He had no clue what happened. He was pushing his pitch on that Connor woman, then he blanked out and woke up on the floor. She had to have done something to him.

In the doctor's office, the doctor asked him what happened then looked in his ear and checked his eyes. The doctor again asked him to give specifics, and stopped him a couple time to ask questions. The doctor then left. He came back 15 minutes later and asked if the ringing in his ear had subsided.

"Some, but not much," Steve told hm.

The doctor frowned and said, "Most likely that ringing won't go away completely. I checked a few references. From what you told me, somehow you experienced an ultrasonic frequency. Depending upon what frequency it was, such things can cause brain damage. It appears this one, if that is what it was, was only enough to knock you senseless and damage your right ear."

"So, I was attacked over the phone?"

The doctor shrugged and said, "You didn't hear anything, and there is no way to prove it happened over the phone. It could have been a frequency in the room, or a malfunction of your phone. I can only give you a probable cause for what you are experiencing."

Although the doctor could not say for certain what happened, Steve was still charged $200 for the office visit.

The constant ringing in his ear made Steve Mason angry. He wanted to get back at that Connor woman! Although he could not do anything directly, he called up someone who could. He called someone he knew was with ANTIFA, and told them all about how conservative and harmful the Connors were to decent people, and also when the charity concert was that they were playing at.

Steve was going to get his revenge.

.

The concert area was bigger than the rest of the entire festival. Derek, Jesse, and Sarah all got jobs as security (and $15 an hour) to help with crowd control. Derek was at the main entry to the large fenced off concert area with three others . The baseball field had a stage where the pitcher's mound was, facing the right field seats. The normal player's entry which was closed after the band went in, was guarded by Sarah and Jesse.

The seats were filling up, the band was getting ready to perform. John help peeking out at the top tier, where the green light would turn on when everyone was inside. In this concert, Sonja was there mostly to help Delilah quick-change her outfit for when she did her solo song. John was there for moral support and to operate the stage curtain.

The wait seemed long. Finally when the seats were full the green light came on.

"OK, we're on!" John announced. He made sure everyone was in position then pulled the curtain back.

Cheering and applause rang from the crowd upon seeing the band, and Cameron on the big TV screens behind the stage to either side.

"Welcome everyone, and thank you for your generous donations!" Cameron said with a wave. "We here on stage are here on a volunteer basis. Not one penny or your donations was spend on us. This is our contribution to the following charities…"

.

Sarah and Jesse noted that just before Cameron started speaking, a large group of about sixty people clad in black with black head gear and goggles appeared and were coming at their gate.

Sarah got on her radio. "This is gate two, we had a large crowd of black clad people coming at us, some carrying weapons. We need help here."

"Those two have bolt cutters", Jesse said.

While Cameron's amplified voice told of the charities being served, the people in black came up to the gate and used bolt cutters to cut the chain on the gate.

Sarah and Jesse backed up. "They are cutting their way in!" Sarah announced on her radio.

"You are breaking the law, stop now!" Jesse barked at them.

The gate flung open. "Kill the Nazis!" the lead man with the bolt cutters yelled, pointing the bolt cutters at Jesse.

Jesse believed they were in danger. She grabbed the other end of the bolt cutters and kicked him in the face. He recoiled into a few others. Sarah kicked the one in front of her square in the chest, catapulting him back to knock the ones behind him down. They both jumped back.

"Stop now!" Sarah barked.

A cry of "KILL the NAZIS!" roared from the black clad group that surged forward.

.

Cameron had finished her intro to hear the yell to kill the Nazis. She looked over to see Jesse and Sarah backing up, just out of reach of the mass of black clad people yelling "Kill the Nazis!"

Cameron yelled in her Mic," Stop it! This is a charity event, there are no Nazis here."

"Kill the Nazis!" several black clad figures that spread out pointed their pipes and other weapons at the stage.

Delilah took her guitar off. John, Cameron, Delilah and Sonja all jumped off the stage.

"GO AWAY BEFORE YOU GET HURT!" Sonja roared.

A pipe hit Sarah on her arm as she raised an arm to deflect the blow. She was knocked down. Jesse turned and ran back towards the stage. A mob descended on Sarah.

"MOM!" John cried and raced forwards. Cameron, Delilah and Sonja charged with him.

Seeing this, Todd said, "Quick, Ballroom Blitz!" They began playing.

 _Ready Kay?_

 _Yeah,_

 _Hector?_

 _Uh huh_

 _George?_

 _Oh yeah_

 _All right fellas_

 _Let's GOOOO!_

 _._

 _It's been getting so hard_

 _Living with the things you do to me_

 _Uh huh_

 _My dream are getting so strange_

 _I have to tell you everything I see_

 _Uh huh_

Their song was timed perfectly with the instant the four Connors crashed into the charging black clad crowd. Black clad bodies went flying as the Connors drove into them.

 _Oh I see a man in the back_

 _As a matter of fact his eyes are as red as the sun_

 _And the girl in the corner, let no one ignore her_

 _She thinks SHE's the passionate one_

 _OH YEAH_

 _._

 _It was like lightning_

 _Everybody was frightening_

 _And the music was soothing_

 _And they all started moving_

 _Yeah! Yeah ! Yeah! Yeah!_

 _._

 _And the man in the back said 'Everyone attack!"_

 _And it turned into a ballroom blitz_

 _And the girl in the corner said_

" _Boy I wanna warn ya, it'll_

 _Turn into a ballroom blitz._

 _Ballroom Blitz!_

 _Ballroom Blitz!_

 _Ballroom Blitz!_

Even though there was a mob of black clad figures, they were knocked and throw aside into others as the Connors charged. Jesse stopped running, and seeing a lone figure heft a pipe behind Cameron, she raced up and kicked him in the head, bowling him over and out. Sonja grabbed two men, one in each hand by their chests and used them to punch other black clad figures to the ground.

The organized chant of 'Kill the Nazis' degraded into yells and screams as the ones in front were slammed back into the mob. The mob itself spit apart from the onslaught as the band frantically played on.

Not having anyone else directly in front of her, Sonja threw one man to slam into another. They both went down. The other man she flung away to hit two others, knocking them down. Delilah kicked one man so hard he knocked down the one behind him and bounced up to fly into another. Cameron had battered her way through the ones in front of her. A female screamed and tried to crawl away, Cameron grabbed her by the ankle and ran at a few more swinging the girl around her head like a big club. After the girl slammed into the second one, she went silent. Cameron threw her low, her body spinning to down three more.

 _Oh oh ohh, reaching out for something_

 _Touching nothing's All I ever do._

 _Uh huh_

 _I softly call you over_

 _When you appear there's_

 _Nothing left of you_

 _Uh huh_

 _._

 _And the man at the back is ready to crack_

 _As he raises his hands to the sky!_

 _And the girl in the corner is everyone's mourner_

 _She can kill you with a wink of her eye!_

 _OH YEAH!  
_

 _It was electric, so frantically hectic!_

 _And the band started leaving_

 _Cos they all_

 _Stopped breathing!  
_

 _YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!_

 _._

 _And the man in the back said 'Everyone attack!"_

 _And it turned into a ballroom blitz_

 _And the girl in the corner said_

" _Boy I wanna warn ya, it'll_

 _Turn into a ballroom blitz._

 _Ballroom Blitz!_

 _Ballroom Blitz!_

 _Ballroom Blitz!_

John kicked and punched his way to Sarah. The one kicking Sarah, John kicked him in the head hard, the man flew back and laid limp. Another who was punching Sarah's curled up form, John kneed hard in the ribs to knock him away. That one landed on the ground to curl up and moan.

By this time, half the black clad mob was on the ground either still or crying out in pain.

Delilah pointed to the exit and yelled, "Sonja, don't let them get away!"

Sonja charged the exit overtaking one figure who tried to run, She came up from behind and hit him hard in the shoulder blade. He spun and tumbled to the ground, then laid there screaming.

The black clad attackers still on their feet realized they were in a world of shit and were getting their asses kicked bad. With giant Sonja at their only exit point, many ran for the stands. They tried to jump up and over the low barrier, but angry fans shoved and punched them back onto the field as Todd and his band kept playing. A few tried to throw their hands up in surrender. Cameron or Delilah raced over to knock them down and ripped their masks off. These stayed lying on the ground as they were told. A few tried to fight back and ended up screaming on the ground with broken bones.

By the time the song was over, all the black clad figures were on the ground. Only John, Cameron, Delilah and Sonja stood on the field.

The crowd went wild in their applause, heartily cheering and shaking their fists. Delilah gave a deep bow, which made them cheer harder.

.

The police arrived to get the camera footage and take statements. It took an hour for the many ambulance medics to clear the field. John went to the hospital with Sarah, who was nearly passing out with pain as she let out agonized moans.

Once the field was clear, Cameron, Delilah and Sonja returned to the stage. First up and on, Delilah picked up the mike and announced, "Now that's over, let's play some music!"

The crowd heartily agreed.

.

Police Chief McGregor stood in the waiting room with Mark, John sitting nearby as they waited for Sarah to come out of surgery.

"So what do we do?" the chief asked Mark. "We have eleven dead and fifty three seriously injured!"

"Didn't they break in yelling "Kill the Nazis?" Mark asked. "Breaking and entering and assault with intention to kill. They certainly tried to kill Sarah! They probably would have if John and his women didn't get to her. They got what they asked for. It's all on video, and those people brought weapons."

"A lot of good it did them," The Chief said with a snort. "This is going to be a political football!"

"And who made it? The ones who cut the security chain to break in, and were yelling out their intention to kill," Mark countered. He pointed to John and said, "He was defending his mother. The others were defending themselves from a mass of attackers. They were inside a closed area and had no place to run."

"They killed eleven people!"

"Who came specifically to kill them!"

"What do I tell the mayor?"

"How about, the truth?" Mark asked. "A mob of people who had their faces covered to prevent identification and bearing weapons, broke into a charity event and assaulted the guards and yelled out they were going to kill the band. The band defended themselves."

"Do YOU want to make that statement to the press?" the Chief asked, pointing a finger at Mark.

"Gladly." Mark said firmly.

The police Chief stormed out. On his way out, he was met by two men in black suits. They produced badges showing they were with homeland security. "Chief McGregor?" one asked.

"Yes. What are you people doing here.?"

"We're taking over the investigation. We need the evidence you have."

Chief McGregor let out a snort and said, "You're welcome to it."

.

Sarah was beaten bad, but other than some broke ribs and her arm, she had no other internal injuries. John decide to stay with her instead of going to the screening. Cameron agreed that John should stay and watch over his mother.

"We should stay also," Delilah said.

"We will," Sonja agreed.

Cameron sat by John and clasped his hand. "We're not going to leave you at a time like this," she stated.

"More of those people might come," Delilah said.

"I think they learned their lesson," John offered.

"No, radicals like them never learn," Cameron stated. "The ones left will not see these deaths as criminals getting what they deserved, but as martyrs, even though they broke into a charity concert to kill others. They are lunatics, and lunatics never learn."

.

Over the next couple weeks, news stations put out their own opinion of what happened at the Palmdale charity event. John was expecting the worst, but the news media saw the attack of a charity event as 'the worst possible terrorist act', and condemned the group heavily. All who survived were in jail, or prison hospitals. One anchor man said, "Those people must have been complete fools to attempt to hurt the Connor women. They deserved what they got."

.

The reviews came out for _Saving Atlas_. Despite himself, Charlie had a potential blockbuster on his hands. The critics loved the movie, and praised him for his 'retro' style with real-life action scenes and good character development.

Due to negative liberals collecting on campus, Canyon was relieved that Cameron and Delilah didn't return to college. A group was waiting for them to protest loudly and try to drive them out. Everyone knew that would turn out bad.

John sat in a movie theater in a small town with his wives to watch _Saving Atlas_. In had been playing for two weeks straight. In the ending scene, Sonja went up to the shut Atlas gate, bearing bloody spots and her cloak in rags, and knocked on the gate.

The gate came partway open, Cameron appeared. "Yes, Master?" she asked.

"You haven't forgotten. Very good." Sonja said with a nod. "I am going to give you a very important task. If you fail, I'll have your head!"

"Yes, Master, what do you desire?" Cameron asked, looking up at Sonja.

Jerking a thumb at the gate, Sonja said, "These people need a leader who is smarter than a rock and braver than the average rabbit. You will lead them and do your best to instill good values on them. Think you can do that?"

Cameron sported a grin and replied, "I will try my best."

"Good! Do not let me down!"

"I won't Master. Just to be sure I am doing as you wish, perhaps you would like to visit from time to time?" Cameron asked with a grin.

Sonja grinned back at her. "That does sound like a good idea. I will see you next month."

"Until then," Cameron said with a bow.

Sonja bobbed her head in a nod. "Until then."

Sonja walked away, Cameron went back inside and the credits rolled up the screen.

"That was a good movie," John said happily as he looked at Cameron.

"I was made out as the bad guy," Delilah said with a fake pout.

John tightened his arm around her a little and said, "Don't worry, I know how good you are," he said with a big grin. They got up to leave, Cameron showing her slightly enlarged, pregnant belly. It was her turn, and Joan was in school now, so it was time for another one.

A teenage girl behind them stopped to gape at them. "You … You were in that movie!" she said to Cameron.

Cameron smiled and put a finger to her lips. "Shhh, don't tell anyone."

"This is awesome, I got to meet a real movie star!" the girl beamed.

"We aren't stars, that was the only movie we ever did," Delilah told her.

"Two movie stars, in this town?" the girl asked. "What are you doing here?"

"We found we hate Hollywood," Cameron stated.

"The girl laughed. "I can understand that! Those people are … out there!"

"So true," John agreed.

On their way out, the girl, Jenny Bower, was more interested in how they did the movie, than who the were. They talked with her and a couple of her friends on the way out.

John was finding that after those black clad radicals had attacked the charity concert, their group was coming under heavy fire. They were now labeled a terrorist group, and anyone who sided with them was shown on the news as a conspirator. Even the TV show Our View condemned the terrorists and were glad such people got taught a lesson.

Overall, John thought things were going pretty good for his family. Even though Sonja was upset that George showed her an 'awesome' looking girl and fawned over her, Sonja was understanding that George had no real loyalties as far as a very close friend went. The two were still friends, but Sonja backed off on him, which made John breathe a big sigh of relief. He wanted someone smarter and taller for her. Even Joan was doing well, the teachers had her and Allison doing second grade work and were praising their little genius. Jackie was learning pretty fast too, and with Joan and Allison, she seemed to be picking up on things fast.

As for John himself, he couldn't ask for better. He lived in a mansion and had two hot wives, and kids he was proud of. His only concern was to keep insisting that Cameron and Delilah not become 'baby making machines.' He drew the limit at four each, but by the smirks they returned, he had the feeling it was going to be more.

 **The End**

 **Well, that went on for an epically long time for starting out as a single chapter one-shot. (Why does this keep happening to me!) Anyway, hope you enjoyed the tale, and thank you all for your support.**


End file.
